Iga Naruto
by tibo
Summary: Naruto, guided by a presence from the past, discovers a personal connection to a ninja clan long since lost to history. In a world shaped by endless war and constant bloodshed, can Naruto find a way to stop the cycle of hatred and free the world from the echoes of the past? Naruto /Mystic eyes. Intelligent, strong, grey Naruto. Naruto/Multiple women.
1. Chapter 1 - Mystic Eyes

_**Chapter 1 – Mystic Eyes**_

_**Hey people! Tibo here, looking to try my hand at writing fanfiction.**_

_**The premise of this fic is fairly simple: How would the story progress if Naruto was like a ninja from Basilisk? A Naruto who fights intelligently, with the tactics of an actual ninja instead of being the very embodiment of a shounen style fighter.**_

_**Instead of brawling, yelling a lot and relying on the Kyuubi to save him almost every fight, Naruto will use deception, stealth, intelligence and will actually be a competent combatant like the ninjas from Basilisk.**_

_**If you haven't read Basilisk or seen the anime don't worry, it's not necessary reading. This fic is firmly set in Naruto's world and story. The Basilisk elements will be limited to techniques and a few characters, all of which will be thoroughly explained. I mainly wanted Naruto to embody their approach to combat more than anything else.**_

_**Naruto's personality will be significantly different from Canon. Why? Because he will have a different childhood. In canon he never progressed mentally beyond that of an eight year old, that won't happen here. He'll be trained from a young age, so expect him to be extremely competent and intelligent. If you're looking for knucklehead/doormat Naruto you'll have to look elsewhere.**_

_**Naruto will be very strong though not godlike. He'll have a bloodline which will allow him to combat the ridiculously strong dojutsus of Naruto universe (cough..sharingan..cough). He also be 'grey', not dark or evil. I'm trying to take some of positives from the Naruto in Canon (i.e. will power/charisma) and combine it with a more practical and ruthless approach found in Basilisk (i.e. he won't help people by screaming meaningless dribble all the time).**_

_**Anyway, let's get on with it. I hope you enjoy. **_

" Dialogue"

_Thoughts_

**Techniques**

"_**Kyuubi/demon dialogue"**_

* * *

**[Standard disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Basilisk.]**

His eyes opened to a peculiar scene. It was late in the evening and he was standing still on the shoreline of an unfamiliar river. The last rays of red light faded into blue as the sun started to disappear behind the horizon. An evening picked up, he could hear the breeze rustling through the reeds along the shore. In the background the subtle echo of waves could be heard as they caressed the white sand along the shoreline.

_I've never been here before, but it feels so real._

He noticed he was standing completely still, his eyes firmly focused on a figure standing opposite him. The occasional chirping of a cricket was all that disturbed the silence between the two of them. It was almost deafening.

"Oboro!" He heard a woman roar. He winced as the voice shattered the silence like glass. He would have turned to give the woman a piece of his mind, but found he could not. His body wouldn't move.

_Who's Oboro?_

So instead of turning to confront the rude voice his eyes stayed fixed on the figure in front of him. The figure was an oddly dressed man who looked like an eccentric noble from old times. He wore a white haori over a dark blue kosode with dark blue hakama pants. His long black haired was tied loosely in a ponytail and he had thick eyelashes which gave him a feminine appearance. He looked young, not much older than twenty, but there was an air of authority about him that was incongruous with his youthful appearance. What was most disconcerting was the katana the man grasped in his right hand. That and the fact that his eyes were firmly clamped shut.

_What's going on here?_

As soon as the thought crossed his mind he felt his head turn and his eyes move down to examine his own hand. That was when he started to panic. He wasn't in control of his own body. He was powerless, a mere silent witness trapped in the body of another. He briefly recognized the fact that he was holding a tanto, but that concern was overridden by the knowledge that this body was certainly not his own.

As he looked down at the hand through the eyes of another he saw not the hand of a six-year-old boy, but the delicate hand of a young woman. Instead of a light tan — the color of his own skin — the skin was white like porcelain. The fingers that wrapped around the tanto appeared fragile, like they would break if the slightest bit of pressure was put on them.

_Who is this?_

His felt his vision shift back to the man as _his _body started stumbling forward across the white sand like a marionette on strings. He could feel his feet sink into the soft sand as he closed the distance between himself and the man with the katana. One step, two step, three steps, four. He tried to stop, but his, no _the_ body remained unresponsive. He could feel tears falling down his face as he came to an abrupt stop in front of the man who had remained completely still and unresponsive.

He found his mouth moving on its own accord as he heard the words, "I love you Gennosuke-sama." His voice…NO, _the voice _was definitely female.

He felt his hands tighten around the tanto and his pulse quicken as his heart reacted to threat of imminent violence. At this point he felt his body move and raise the tanto to the man's chest.

_I'm going to kill him! Stop!_

Just as he believed he was about to become a murderer something unexpected occurred. Instead of piecing the man's chest his tanto reversed its course and plunged straight into his own heart. **(1)**

* * *

Naruto woke up screaming, clutching his chest where he felt the blade enter and end his life. The remnants of the dream were still present and he could feel a sharp stab of pain in his heart which was hammering against his rib cage. The dream had left his body covered in a thick coating of sweat. His sheets felt damp…

_One of those dreams again. They always feel so real._

_Oboro…_

The name was foreign to him, yet felt unknowingly familiar at the same time. He felt as if he should know who that was, but he was certain that he knew nobody by that name.

_I'm going crazy._

Naruto had been having these dreams for the last few months. This one had been the worst yet. They didn't occur often, or least they didn't used to. He had been having the dreams more frequently over the last month or so. This was the third one this week and in every single one of them he was in someone else's body. All he could do is watch as the dreams progressed and end, usually with him dying or killing someone.

_Maybe I should talk to the old man about them, _thought Naruto. The woman and the other people in his dreams must be ninjas. They were amazing fighters and he had seen some of them use crazy jutsu like turning into water or blowing gusts of wind from their mouths.

He quickly discarded the idea though. If he told the old man he was having dreams about killing people or ending his own life the old man would probably send him to a psychiatrist to have his head examined. It's not like it would be unexpected after everything that had happened to him.

With a sigh he pulled himself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. He let out a huge yawn as he walked. He definitely wasn't getting anywhere near enough sleep.

As he made his way into his bathroom he frowned at the state of it. Mold everywhere, bin overflowing, backed up toilet…

_Maybe I should clean this place up a little…At least its not as bad as the kitchen, _Naruto thought as his mind brought up images of discarded ramen cups and dirty dishes.

Putting the horrible thought of impending chores aside he went to the sink to brush his teeth only to jump back in shock as he looked in the mirror. There, staring straight at him was the face of a beautiful woman. Instead of a short boy with spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes he found himself looking at a young woman in her mid to late teens with long black hair and a pair of beautiful amethyst eyes. He stared into those eyes in shock as they gleamed right back at him like two stars in the night sky.

_What?!_

He quickly blinked and shook his head. He thought he felt a slight burning sensation in his eyes, but dismissed it. When he opened his eyes again he found himself looking at his usual sky blue eyes, whisker marks and sunlight blonde hair.

_Great. Now I'm even dreaming while I'm awake._

* * *

Naruto tried to put the weirdness of his morning behind him as he grabbed Gama-chan and ran to his favorite place in the world — Ichiraku Ramen. He ignored the glares and comments from the villagers as he rushed by. His skin had gotten thicker over the years and they wouldn't distract him from his ramen.

"Hey Naruto," greeted Teuchi as Naruto arrived at the small restaurant.

"Morning Teuchi-san," said Naruto. He took his usual seat at the bar. He always had some trouble getting up there, but he got it eventually.

"The usual Naruto?" Teuchi asked.

"You bet." Naruto's usual was enough to feed a large family.

"Ayame! Naruto's here," yelled Teuchi as he went out back to make Naruto order.

"Good morning Naruto-kun," greeted Ayame as she came out to the front of the store.

The older girl was probably the closest thing he had to a friend.

"Hey Ayame-chan," greeted Naruto.

Ayame frowned when she saw Naruto, "Naruto-kun, what's wrong?"

"What? Nothing," replied Naruto a little too quickly.

"Naruto…" said Ayami in a stern tone.

Naruto knew better than to ignore her. "It's nothing Ayame-chan, I just had a bad dream."

"A nightmare?"

Naruto gave Ayame a nod, but didn't explain it. The vividness of the suicide was still affecting him.

_It felt so real…_

* * *

After breakfast Naruto wandered aimlessly through village, though he kept a keen awareness of his position. Some places in the village just weren't safe for him, a lesson he had learned the hard way. **(2)** At least he was safe in broad daylight —sort of— he didn't go out at night anymore…

As he moved through the streets he could feel the heated glares on his back. It was nothing new, almost everyone in Konoha hated him and they weren't shy about showing it.

Sometimes he wondered why the villagers singled him out. It never made any sense to him. None of other kids were treated the same as he was. None of them were kicked out of shops, spat at on the street, or treated like they didn't even exist. That last one always hurt the worst, but he had gotten used it. He had been alone his entire life and always would be.

The isolation still hurt sometimes. The old man, Teuchi and Ayame were the only ones who ever talked to him, even kids his own age stayed clear of him. That, or they through rocks at him and called him a "freak".

Naruto wasn't an idiot, quite the opposite in fact. Even though he couldn't read or write, he was extremely observant. He had figured out some time ago that the Kyūbi attack was linked to his treatment by the village. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. The fact that many of the adults kept calling him 'demon brat' and that October 10th was his birthday made it clear that he had some connection to the Kyūbi attack six years ago, though the exact nature of that connection still eluded him. Nevertheless, he was proud that he made the connection, he hadn't even been to school yet. The old man always said he was clever.

While these thoughts were running through his head he found that he had wandered close to the large forest outside Konoha. Naruto stopped in his tracks. The forest was a no go zone for him or anyone for that matter. The old man had told him that the place was very dangerous and he didn't want to end up in hospital…again.

How did he even get here? This area was off limits anyone except experienced ninja.

Confounded, he was about to turn when he felt something tug at him. It felt like someone was physically pulling on his sleeve, trying to direct him towards the forest.

_What is that?_

Naruto ignored the feeling and turned to go back, but as it did his vision blurred. It felt like he had been hit with an extreme case of nausea, that or poison, he still remembered what that felt like. He sunk to the ground as his knees buckled and then all he saw was darkness as he lost consciousness.

* * *

As his eyes opened he found himself on a narrow mountain path surrounded by mist. Moisture was heavy in the air and the ground under foot was damp enough that he could feel it through his footwear.

_Is this another dream? I remember collapsing then…_

If it was another dream it was different. Unlike his previous dream he had full control over his body. His feet moved where he wanted them to and his eyes looked where he directed them.

_That's a positive, _Naruto thought as he peered into the mist. _But where am I?_

Of course the other option was that someone had dumped his body somewhere while he was unconscious. He frowned at that thought. He wouldn't be surprised if someone took advantage of the situation to get rid of him, it wouldn't be the first time.

_I hope this isn't somewhere deep in the forest, _thought Naruto with a slight bit of panic.

He drew a deep breath and calmed down so he could take a closer look at his surroundings. It didn't look like the forest. Sure he could see trees, but they were nowhere near as big as the ones the made up Konoha's forest. It also looked like the area was much more hilly than Konoha and when was the last time there was mist in Konoha?

Against his better judgement Naruto decided to start moving. He didn't have a lot of options; either follow the path or stay where he is. Naruto didn't think wandering into the mist aimlessly was a good idea either. So the only feasible option was to follow the path.

Although he didn't show it, Naruto was worried. _That last dream ended with me dying and this one feels even more real_. _What if..._

He didn't know how long he walked through the mist. It could have been a few minutes or several hours, he couldn't tell. Time seemed to work differently here. Eventually he stopped walking when he walked face first into a brick wall and fell flat on his ass.

"Ow….That hurt."

Naruto looked up at what he ran into and was surprised to see a large wall. _How did I not see that? The mist isn't that thick._

He noticed that there was a wooden sign mounted on the wall. He squinted a bit as he looked through the mist trying to make out the words on the sign. It was pointless since he couldn't read, but for some reason he seemed to know exactly what it said.

_Iga Tsubagakure._

As soon as he read the words he felt the ground start to collapse beneath him. In a panic he tried to move, but it was to no avail as the ground fell away beneath him. A silent scream escaped his lips as he fell though the hole and into the abyss.

His descent was abruptly cut off when he came into contact with the ground, _hard. _He was dazed by the fall, but managed to open his eyes. He must have hit his head hard because the last thing he saw before losing consciousness was a giant stone room and _a woman in red?_

* * *

Naruto let out a groan as he slowly opened his eyes.

_My head…I think I broke something._

As he woke he tried to remember what happened and where he was. Looking around it seemed that he was lying in a stone room. Rays of sunlight were filtering in through the hole he made in the ceiling. _Wait…hole…ceiling…mist!_

The last thing he remembered was running through that weird mist, hitting a wall and the sign, yes, he remembered the sign: 'Iga Tsubagakure'... He'd never heard of it.

Naruto sighed. _What did I get myself into this time._

"So you're finally awake little one." A female voice intruded on his thoughts.

Naruto as he jumped up off the ground with a start. He hadn't sensed anyone near him and his senses were extremely sharp having lived on the streets for a few years in the past. Had one of the ninjas found him?

Naruto's eyes darted around the room trying to locate whoever had startled him. He quickly located the source of the voice and only one thought came to mind as he laid eyes on her.

_Beautiful._

Standing to his right in a relaxed pose was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He briefly wondered how it took so long for him to notice her, before he went back to staring. She had midnight black hair that shimmered like silk in the sunlight. It was tied back loosely allowing her fringe to fall across her face like water cascading down a waterfall. She had light honey brown eyes which he noticed were sharp, a little cold, and glowing with intelligence. Though right now he could tell that she was looking at him with more than a little bit of humor. Naruto's eyes focused in on her cherry red lips that contrasted sharply with the woman's flawless porcelain white skin. The black hair and red lips coupled with the woman's pale complexion gave her the appearance of a cold feminine beauty.

_I hope she won't do anything mean to me, _thought a jaded Naruto_. _Several... experiences in the past had left him extremely distrusting of strangers.

He took a deep breath and tried to take a few steps backwards, but felt his back come into contact with the wall. _Uh oh…nowhere to run, _thought Naruto as he tried desperately to stave off panic. He hated being cornered. Bad things happened to him when he got cornered.

With nowhere to run he took a better look at the woman in the hope that she was one of the few who didn't hate him. She was dressed in a blood red kimono, which was tied together loosely by a yellow sash. Her kimono was quite fitting, accentuating an very curved figure. To say she was voluptuous would be an understatement. Such things held no meaning to Naruto, but he knew the old man and other males in the village would go crazy at the sight of her. She also had what looked like a short katana strapped to her sash.

The woman suddenly spoke up, once again startling Naruto.

"If you're finished staring perhaps we can move on with introductions," she said with a grin. One finely arched eyebrow suggested she found his staring amusing rather than offensive.

"W-w-who are you?" asked a flustered Naruto. _Focus Naruto. Don't let the pretty lady distract you. Wait until she's not watching and run. _His inner flight response had just kicked in._  
_

"Hmm…what's this? You know it's customary to give your own name before asking someone for theirs," replied the women with her melodic voice. She seemed to be in the mood to tease Naruto.

_Is it? _wondered Naruto. He vaguely recalled the old man telling something similar before._ Wait! Doesn't she know who I am? Everyone knows who I am. The whisker marks are a dead giveaway, _thought Naruto. He was confused, in Konoha everyone seemed to know who he was.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto," he answered in a cautious tone. It was a good sign that she wasn't openly hostile, but he also knew better than to let his guard down. He had been deceived before and was ready to bolt at the first sign of anger or recognition from the woman.

"Is that so?" The woman was looking at him curiously. "Well Naruto-kun, my name is Akeginu. It's a pleasure to meet you. You're the first to visit this tomb in a long, long time."

The woman had replied without hesitation. It seemed she truly did not recognize him.

_At least something is going right for me...Wait! Did she say 'tomb?'_

"What do you mean 'tomb'?" Naruto asked, voicing his thoughts.

"You don't know? How odd…You're currently standing in the ruins of Iga Tsubagakure, the last remnants of what was once the most powerful ninja clan Japan," answered the woman. Naruto detected a little bit of pride in her voice. _Strange._

'_Iga Clan? Japan? I've never heard of the Iga clan and or this place called Japan. _He had no idea what she was on about. He took another look at the woman, _It looks like she was serious. _He didn't know what to make her, in fact he was starting to think the woman might be a little crazy.

_Just my luck, I finally meet someone who doesn't hate me, and they turn out to be crazy. Now that I think about it that's probably the only reason why she didn't recognize me in the first place, she's been in a mental institution for the last decade._

"I've never heard of the Iga clan or this place called Japan," sated Naruto.

"Well of course not. The Iga clan has been extinct for well over a thousand years," replied the woman. She had an amused smile on her face as she watch him frown.

_Yep crazy, you sure can pick'em Naruto._

He started to think of a way to blow the pretty lady off without hurting her feelings; after all, even though she was crazy she still was nice to him. It was a novel experience for him.

"What's with that look?" The woman asked, interrupting Naruto's escape plans.

"What look?" Naruto didn't make eye contact. He was hoping to maintain the appearance of innocence. _I wasn't trying to escape at all…_

The woman wasn't buying it, "Don't give me 'what look'. You're looking at me like I'm crazy."

_It seemed like that irked her a little...Or a lot, _thought Naruto as looked at the pronounced twitch developing above her right eye. _Definitely a lot._

Naruto decided to try a _subtle _approach. "Well…no offense lady, but... are you crazy? I mean, you pretty much told me that you've been hanging out in a thousand year old graveyard from a place that doesn't exist," said Naruto.

_I'm good, _thought a slightly delusional Naruto. The woman's twitch became even more pronounced.

"I'm not crazy kid! I suggest you have a look at your surroundings before you go questioning peoples sanity, these ruins are _obviously_ very old," replied the annoyed woman.

Since the crazy woman was being so vocal about it Naruto decided to humour her and take a closer examination of his surroundings. He was in what appeared to be the ruins of an old house. It looked different from anything he had seen before. He could see outside the building he was in and to his surprise there were a number of other buildings in similar condition. He supposed they _might_ indicate that this was indeed the ruins of some village. He could also see what looked like a large courtyard and the remnants of what had once been a wall.

_Was that what I ran into?_

Looking upwards Naruto was surprised to see that the whole 'village' was encased in a natural cavern like structure. The roof of the cavern rose up high around the village but was open in the center allowing sunlight to filter down into the ruins. It appeared to be a natural formation that had formed around the village.

_All right, there...may... be some truth to what she says. It looks like this place is really the ruins of some old village. But one thousand years old? That would mean this tomb was around long before Konoha was ever founded, so how come no one knows about it? Also, if that's the case then who the hell is this woman and how does she know so much about this place?_

Naruto decided to voice some of these questions. "Hey lady, if these ruins are so old why hasn't anyone ever found them? Shouldn't half this stuff be in a museum or something?" Naruto looked at the pretty lady again and asked, "Are you some sort of treasure hunter?"

A melodious laugh escaped the woman's lips. "No, no, I'm certainly no treasure hunter. As to why no one has found this place, well that's simple: it's very well hidden." The woman paused before narrowing her eyes at Naruto. "Now that I think about it, how did you get in here?"

Naruto shrugged, "I don't know…I was near the big forest when I collapsed for some reason. When I woke up I was lost in the mist—"

"—Wait…you were in the mist, that can't be right," said the woman. He could hear the confusion in her tone, which only served to confuse him even more than he already was.

_Why couldn't he be in the mist?_

"Why not?" Naruto asked.

"Well…ah...the mist is special Naruto-kun. It's meant to keep people away from this place. You can't just walk straight through it, that's why after all these years no one's ever found this place. It unconsciously directs people's attention elsewhere. People just don't notice it. Not to mention there are other protections in place to ensure no one ever trespasses here. No one has disturbed these ruins for over one thousand years."

Naruto didn't know how to respond to that. If what the woman said was true then he could only wonder how far he was from the village, and worry about how he was going to get home. _  
_

"Um…do you know I far I am from the village?" Naruto asked. Hopefully the crazy lady knew the way back.

"You mean that town outside the forest?" The woman asked.

"You know about the forest?" Naruto asked in hope.

"Of course, you're standing in the middle of it. It hasn't been here that long, but it now surrounds the ruins entirely. "

Naruto just gaped at that. _How did I get into the middle of the forest alive? I could have been killed_. _Jiji always said that dangerous creatures lived in the forest. Wait…what did she mean when she said the forest hasn't been here that long?. It's always been here._

Naruto said as much to the crazy lady who just smiled back at him.

"No, the forest hasn't always been here. It sprung up over night a little over a century ago…it was very weird, trees just sprung out of the ground everywhere. It changed the landscape dramatically, " replied the crazy lady.

_Weird, she is talking as if she was there, _thought Naruto.

"I still don't understand how you got here though, the rulers from my time took a lot of precautions. They didn't want anyone disturbing the dead or entering this place ever again. It's impossible to just stumble in here," said Akeginu more to herself than to him.

Naruto froze when she said that. "W-w-what do you mean your time?"

"Oh…Sorry, I didn't explain properly —my fault. I've actually been here for the last thousand years or so," said the crazy lady with a smile.

Naruto stumbled backwards, but once again a brick wall stopped his retreat. _There is no way a human would still be alive after so long. Kami, I hope she's not a ghost._

"What are you then? Some kind of ghost or zombie?" Naruto asked in a frightened voice. He was crouching on the ground now.

"Zombie! Do I look like some rotting corpse to you?" The zombie asked with a high degree of indignation. "Look at my skin, there's not a blemish on it."

Naruto sweat dropped at the zombie's apparent shallowness. "So you're a ghost then," Naruto asked. It was logical, if she wasn't a zombie then she was a ghost. But now he was really scared, ghosts scared him more than anything.

The ghost just looked annoyed, "Will you calm down already, I'm not a ghost either. I'm what you would call a spirit. I'm bound to the ruins of Iga Tsubagakure for some reason I have yet to discover, I can't move on. I like to think of myself as the guardian of Iga's dark secrets."

"I'm sure you do," said a skeptical Naruto.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The gh—spirit asked. She sounded annoyed... again.

Naruto didn't have much of an attention span and seeing a chance to have some fun with the woman he quickly forgot about the fact that she might be a ghost, and decided to tease her.

"Let's face it, this place is buried under ground, is located in the forest of death and it looks like you haven't had any visitors here in about forever, so really there's no need for any sort of 'guardian'. You're probably some homeless moocher or grave robber."

A tick mark appeared above the spirit''s right eyebrow before she yelled, "M-moocher. Grave robber! I'll have you know I was one of the most dangerous ninjas of Iga."

With that being said she smacked Naruto across the back of his head, hard.

"Ouch! That hurt… Wait, how did you hit me if you're a spirit?" asked Naruto thinking he'd finally caught the woman out in a lie.

"Hmph, after several hundred years I figured out how to make myself tangible. It only works while I'm in the ruins though. As soon as I leave the ruins I go back to being an intangible spirit and invisible to most people."

"You can leave the ruins?" Naruto asked.

"Yep. I've been to that odd village outside several times before. No one can see me though, you're the first," replied the spirit.

"Wait, so you can show me the way back then?"

"To the village…sure," said spirit with a shrug.

"Thank you Akeginu-san," said a suddenly more respectful Naruto causing Akeginu to twitch again.

"All right, I'll take you back out through the mist…I still have no idea how you got here though," said Akeginu as she took Naruto's hand and led him out of the ruins.

* * *

When they finally reached the edge of the forest Akeginu watched the boy give her a wave and run off towards the village. She smiled at that, when was the last time she had experienced such child like exuberance?

As Naruto disappeared from her sight her smile faded into a look of contemplation. How had the boy made it through the mist? She didn't believe his story about waking up there. Not that she thought he was lying, she would have seen straight through that. Rather she believed he hadn't understood what had really happened. No one had made it through that mist since her time and that old fox Tokugawa had made sure his monks sealed this place off nice and tight. It had worked for a thousand years, was the protection failing? No, it was as strong as ever, she knew that.

The boy, Naruto, was the key. She doubted she had seen the last of him and through him she would find her answer.

"Interesting boy, I wonder if he knows that there's a demon inside him."

* * *

_**2 weeks later**_

To say that Naruto liked the ruins would be an understatement. He loved it. It was peaceful, almost tranquil. There were no people cursing or staring at him, and Akeginu let him do whatever he wanted. To top it all off he was safe here. He found it funny that he was safer in a place called the Forest of Death than he was in the village.

Akeginu-chan also treated him with respect, something he rarely received from anyone, and she was generally just a great person to hang out with. She was very knowledgeable — from his perspective— and she had started helping Naruto with his reading using some scrolls she had laying about. Naruto was pretty sure she was teaching him a different language , but Akeginu seemed to think it was just an outdated version of the current one so he took her word for it.

She also gave him a lot of attention, positive attention, which was something he never got in Konoha. She would always ask him question about himself and he liked answering her. Though there was always that voice in the back of his head telling him not to tell her too much in case she started to hate him like everyone else.

* * *

Much to Akeginu's dismay Naruto had been coming to visit her on a regular basis, almost everyday for the last two weeks. Apparently the mist was no longer an obstacle for him now that he had made it through the first time. It was a puzzle she had yet to crack.

She also didn't know how he was traversing the forest without being hurt either. She had seen some of the predators in the forest, they were ridiculously large. How Naruto, a mere child, avoided them she would never know. The boy seemed to have a natural stealth about him though and he had perfectly recalled the path she showed him the first time she took him out of the forest. He was obviously very intelligent though it was quite clear he had received no education. Intelligence though did not explain how he was able to transverse dangerous territory with little to no training.

An enigma, the boy was an enigma.

On the positive side, Akeginu found herself enjoying Naruto's visits immensely. She had been bereft of human company for so long she had forgotten how it felt to have companionship. Although a highly competent and ruthless kunoichi, Akeginu was a compassionate woman when not on the battlefield and Naruto was bringing out some of her more personable characteristics.

It also helped that Naruto for some reason reminded her of Oboro. She had been Oboro's caretaker while the girl was growing up and had cared greatly for her. Deep down inside she felt that she had failed Oboro by not better preparing her for what was to come. In hindsight it was no surprise that the seal with Kouga didn't last. **(3) **She should have prepared Oboro for the possibility of war with Kouga. Instead the girl was both mentally and physically unprepared when the seal was broken and had become the worst thing to be in ninja clan during war time — a liability. Akeginu and the rest of the Iga ninjas were forced to avoid or deceive Oboro in regards to actions taken against Kouga. It had also cost her clan the war since they had not been able to rely on the Iga clan's most powerful weapon — the mystic eyes.

Those were dark days, she had watched loved ones die and turned her back on Oboro, her best friend, after the girl had refused to take part in the war. Looking back now she was ashamed of her actions. She had been Oboro's caretaker and had essentially abandoned the girl to her fate. She couldn't help but think she was honoring Oboro's memory by helping Naruto.

Her bout of nostalgia had been brought on by the stories of the past she had been telling Naruto. She had told him about Iga Tsubagakure, and about their blood feud with Kouga Manjidani. She had also told Naruto about the war and her own death. He liked ninja stories, and she liked telling them to him since it curbed his usual hyper-activeness.

While she was explaining to Naruto what a shogun was and the politics of 16th century Japan she noticed some bruising around Naruto's face near his eye. Worried, she asked, "How did you get that bruise Naruto-kun?"

Naruto's hands went to his face unconsciously, "Oh this, I just got into a fight with some kids... Nothing serious."

Akeginu sighed, she could tell Naruto was lying and called him on it, "You're lying Naruto. You've been hit with something hard like a stick or a cane." She looked closer at the marks on Naruto's face, " And judging by the size of the marks they were made by an adult." She looked Naruto in the eyes. Naruto no doubt noticed that she looked very, very angry.

"I'll ask again, who did this to you?"

Naruto almost winced at the coldness of her tone before replying, "I don't know the name of the person who hit me, but it's nothing new. Pretty much everyone in the village hates me. When I went to buy some fruit this morning the shop keep hit me across the face with his cane. They...they usually only charge me extra for food or just shove outside and...um... call me a demon. They don't usually hit me because jiji might notice and then they'll get in trouble."

Akeginu could feel her blood boil as Naruto explained his treatment. _Someone is going to pay for this..._

"Where are your parents Naruto?" Akeginu asked though she already knew what the answer would be.

Naruto looked sad for a moment, "I don't have any, I'm an orphan."

"Its all right, come here," said Akeginu before picking Naruto up in a hug. "Naruto, where are the people running the orphanage? A child your age shouldn't be buying food by yourself."

"Oh…they kicked me out when I was four. They didn't want me there. I spent a while living on the street before jiji eventually found me and gave me an apartment for myself."

To say Akeginu was furious would be an understatement. _Trash. They abandon a child and have the nerve to call him a demon. Who do they think they are? _She was no saint herself but she was a trained killer. An orphanage abandoning a child in need and in an obviously hostile environment was simple child abuse.

_ I can't have my only connection with the world being treated like this. The way things sound... he'll be dead before he reaches the age of ten._

Akeginu tried to find a solution to the problem, but could come up with only one course of action. _I'll have to train him. It's the only help I can give him. No secret techniques of course, but I can teach him some taijutsu, maybe some shinobi-iri movements. It's not a lot, but it should be enough to keep him alive. I'll also have to tell him about the demon, if one of those idiots in the village inform him there's no telling how he'll react. He'd probably end up thinking he's the demon._

Akeginu took a deep breath, determined to tell Naruto about his tenant, "Naruto, I think I know why the villagers call you a demon."

"Really! Tell me Akeginu-chan Tell me, please," pleaded Naruto.

"Relax, Naruto-kun, I'll tell you, but before I do you have to promise that you won't overreact and will listen to _everything_ I have to say," said Akeginu in a serious voice.

"I promise," replied Naruto.

"Alright then. Naruto, there's a demon sealed inside you, a particularly powerful demon."

* * *

Naruto was shocked when Akeginu said that. A_ demon...but...a demon? __I guess this explains why I heal so quickly. _ It made sense, sort of. He always knew he was different, but a demon, he could never have guessed that, and what did Akeginu mean by 'sealed'?

"Now, this doesn't mean you're a demon Naruto. I said 'sealed inside you'. You're a container, a jailer for a demon."

Naruto gave Akeginu an annoyed look. Of course he wasn't a demon, he wasn't that dumb. If he were a demon there was no way people would treat him like they did, they would be too scared. He was also pretty sure that he would feel a lot more powerful if he were a demon — not that he knew anything about demons.

"How did you know about the demon?" Naruto asked Akeginu.

"I'm pretty sensitive to spiritual energy in this form, and you have more than I've ever sensed in another human being, plus I recognise the energy."

"Really, what is it?" asked Naruto. He was curious as to the identity of the creature that was the source of his torment.

"The Kyūbi no Yōko."

"…." Naruto was speechless. The Kyūbi was the most powerful demon in existence._ But wasn't the Kyūbi killed by the Yondaime Hokage?_

"But Akeginu-chan the Yondaime killed the Kyūbi no Yōko," said Naruto, wondering if she was mistaken or whether the stories were false.

"Wrong. Killing something that powerful is well beyond the capabilities of any human. I suspect that since they couldn't kill the demon they did the next best thing; sealed into something. You, to be precise."

Naruto was stunned, he sat still trying to digest and understand this new information. He couldn't believe it. The Yondaime, a man who he looked up to as a hero had essentially ruined his life. Not only that, but jiji must have known about this too and judging by other people reactions the whole village must have known that the fox was sealed inside him. Jiji had been lying to him his whole life.

Akeginu seeing that Naruto was very distressed by this news decided to give him a distraction.

"I can relate you know. In my time ninja were feared, and none more so than the Iga nin. We were forced to stay hidden in the darkness because people feared us, called us monsters because of our inhuman abilities," explained Akeginu.

"It is amusing to see ninja like this Yondaime Hokage being treated like heroes. When I lived such a thing would have been unthinkable. Then again what you call ninja and I call ninja are two different things. We didn't go around yelling the names of our technique to our opponents. We were assassins and spies who prided ourselves in our ability to complete missions without being detected."

Naruto flinched at the mention of the Yondaime Hokage, but said to Akeginu "You're not a monster you're beautiful."

Akeginu smiled at that. "Naruto, I've never showed you why I ranked amongst Iga's strongest ninjas did I?"

"Nope, I just assumed you were making it up," stated Naruto, feeling a little bit better now that Akeginu was going to show him some ninja techniques.

Akeginu got a tick mark at this. "No Naruto I never showed you because it is a secret technique and we're not meant to show it to outsiders."

"Then why are you showing me now?" Naruto asked, hopeful that she was indeed going to show him a secret jutsu. Ninja fascinated him since as long as he could remember. Maybe it was the jiji's stories about the Yondaime Hokage, but whatever the reason, he had wanted to be a ninja the entirety of his short life.

"There's no harm in it. I'm the last Iga and you can't copy the technique by just looking at it," replied Akeginu.

With that remark Akeginu took a deep breath, "Alright here I go. Don't be scared. It'll look like I'm bleeding but its all part of the technique."

Naruto looked expectantly at Akeginu as her eyes changed from their natural brown to a light gold and then…nothing. Naruto almost face planted "I knew it you're a fraud."

"I'm not a fraud!" Akeginu yelled.

_What the hell just happened? I activated the technique and then it just collapsed, _thought Akeginu as she tried to figure out why her technique didn't work.

"Alright let's try this again," said Akeginu as she activated the technique. This time she could feel her blood start secreting through the pores of her skin.

"Success! You see Naruto-kun, this is my **blood projection **technique."

Akeginu looked over at Naruto to see that he wasn't even looking at her. "Hey baka! Will you look over here, I've got the technique working."

Naruto looked over at Akeginu, as he did Akeginu felt a sharp pain start her head and pulse down through her body. It felt like she had just been thrown hard into the ground. Her technique completely collapsed on itself as extreme nausea raked through her body.

_Impossible! I'd recognize that sensation anywhere… and the neutralization of my blood projection, there's no doubt - Naruto has the mystic eyes. But how? The Iga bloodline couldn't have survived all these years…could it? _Over a millennia, it shouldn't be possible yet the truth was starring her right in the face. Naruto has the mystic eye bloodline therefore he was a descendant of the Iga clan. She'd just made the discovery of a lifetime…or several.

Akeginu collected herself and got up off the ground.

"Are you okay Akeginu-chan?" Naruto asked.

She gave him a reassuring smile, "I'm fine Naruto-kun, just a bit of nausea."

_All right, this changes everything. If Naruto has the fabled mystic eyes then he must have Iga blood. I don't know how that's possible, but I HAVE to teach him the Iga-ryu. I have no choice. I can't have the sole living descendant of the Iga clan being weak, nor I can I just leave the sole descendant ignorant of his heritage. It would be a crime against my clan. I won't have the same thing happen to him that happened to Oboro_.

"Naruto, do you know what you just did?" Akeginu asked, attempting to broach the subject of his eyes.

Naruto shook his head. "I didn't do anything."

"Yes you did. You completely neutralized my secret technique."

"Really?" Naruto replied. To say Naruto looked skeptical would be and understatement, as far as he was concerned he hadn't done anything except look at her.

"Yes, you have a dōjutsu," said Akeginu.

"A what?" Naruto asked, he wasn't familiar with the term.

"A dōjutsu, they're an ocular technique. Most of them are bloodlines, and they're often very powerful. You have the Iga dōjutsu called the mystic eyes. Essentially, it can neutralize _any _ninja technique through eye contact."

Naruto looked stunned at how powerful that seemed, that and the fact that he had such a weapon. "Wow really!? But Akeginu-chan, why hasn't it worked before, I've been attacked by ninjas in the village and my eyes haven't stopped any of those attacks."

Akeginu bristled at the mention of _ninja_ attacking him. _They are going to regret ever laying a finger on Naruto-kun._

Akeginu calmed herself before replying to Naruto's question, "Your dōjutsu had to awaken first. I'm not sure how exactly you awakened it but... it would have been noticeable. Have you had sore eyes recently?"

"Um…Back on the day we met my eyes hurt then…some strange things happened. I kept seeing a young woman with black hair and purple eyes in my dreams and even in the mirror...when we made eye contact my eyes felt like they had just looked into the sun."

_But…that almost sounds like Oboro...they must be related, _thought Akeginu. Oboro's lineage was always a matter of debate in the Iga clan, she wasn't the heads child and no one knew who her parent's were. _So, her parents or a relative must have survived Tokugawa's purge._

_This certainly explains why Naruto was able to get through the mist. It would have no effect on his mystic eyes, _thought Akeginu.

"Anyway the point is if you have the mystic eyes, therefore you must be a descendant of the Iga clan, which means technically as the last living descendant of the Iga clan all these ruins and all the Iga techniques belong to you," said Akeginu.

She was excited. T_his must be why I was bound to the ruins. I'm to teach Iga's successor._

Naruto was also ecstatic. He had always wanted to be a ninja and now he had access to the techniques of a whole clan. Jiji said he could enroll in the ninja academy when he was older, but now it looked like he could start learning much earlier.

"What happens now?" Naruto asked. He wanted to begin training immediately.

"Now, I'm going to train you in the Iga-ryu" said Akeginu.

'_Yes!' _Yelled inner Naruto. "So you're going to be my sensei?"

"Yes, there's no other option I'm the only one who can teach you the Iga-ryu," replied Akeginu.

Akeginu started pacing back and forth adopting what Naruto had come to call her sensei tone. "We'll start with physical conditioning. You're malnourished; we'll have to fix that first. I'll show you how to hunt the local wildlife so that you have a reliable source of food. The hunting will also allow you to put your training into practice. I'll need to teach you how to move like a shinobi. If your pranks are anything to go by you're a natural at stealth, but I'll teach you how to run without making a noise, how to move without being seen and how to be invisible in plain sight. You'll be a ghost by the time I'm done with you."

Naruto was practically jumping up and down now.

Akeginu took a moment to think before continuing "It'll take a few months, but once we start getting you into shape I'll start teaching you how to defend yourself. I'll show you my style of taijutsu and Iga's kenjutsu...Shurikenjutsu as well."

"We're also going to be learning strategy and tactics. A ninja's mind is also a weapon and needs to be trained as well. So that means lots and lots of reading," said Akeginu with a smirk.

"But I'm not very good at reading, " said Naruto. It was a lie, he couldn't read at all.

_Of course he isn't, I bet I was the first to show him how,_ thought Akeginu.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun, I'll teach you and we'll practice your reading a few hours every day. You'll be a good reader in no time."

Akeginu took a minute to think about the logistics of her plans. She would have to have the boy move here, he obviously wasn't safe wherever he staying now. The issue was that his presence would likely be missed, surely the ruler of the village would check up on Naruto, even if it was only because Naruto had such power contained inside him.

"You're also going to have to move here. I don't now where you've been staying before, but wherever it is it's obviously not very safe."

Naruto looked like he was going to interrupt her but Akeginu put a hand up and stopped him.

" Leave most of your stuff where it is, we don't want to arouse suspicion. Just take what's necessary. You'll still have to spend some time in the village otherwise people will come looking for you…plus I know how you like that ramen stuff," said Akeginu with a smile.

"By the time I'm done with you Naruto-kun you'll be the strongest ninja the world has ever seen."

Naruto smiled at that. For the first time in his life things were looking up for him.

While the two were talking neither of them noticed the lilac coloured spectre watching on. Oboro smiled as she saw her old friend taking the boy in. Naruto was special, very special. Not just because he had her eyes. She had done her part, she could only hope Naruto would find the strength to do what she couldn't. Maybe he would be the one to end the cycle of hatred. With one last smile Oboro started to fade from existence. As she faded into twilight she wondered how long it would take for Akeginu to realize how special this boy truly was.

* * *

Meanwhile from behind iron bars a figure watched these new developments with interest.

_**"Well this is an interesting development. The mystic eyes kekkei genkai and shinobi techniques that predate the Sage of Six Paths. Interesting indeed. I wonder how this will change things. "**_

* * *

**Foot Notes**

_**(1)**__ For those who haven't read Basilisk or seen the anime, this is the final scene where Oboro (the previous holder of the mystic eyes) commits suicide rather than fight._

_**(2)**__ I know some people will say 'But Naruto wasn't abused as a child'. Well that's because Naruto is a shounen manga targeted at younger audiences, it''s not going to depict child abuse (blatant use of child soldiers aside). Naruto is a young child alone in an environment where people either despise him or are completely indifferent to him. You can count on one hand how many people he could rely on. I've worked in family law and I can tell you child abuse is fairly systemic in any community. Factor in the high emotions and things like alcohol, or drugs and the chances of Naruto not being exposed to violence are remote (regardless of whatever precautions the Hokage takes). As this is a darker fic, Naruto will have suffered some abuse._

_**(3)**__ A truce designed by Hattori Hanzo. Kouga and Iga was forbidden from engaging each other and were locked into service to the Tokugawas. The truce was broken at the start of Basilisk when the Tokugawa used a duel between the two clans to decide the Imperial successor._

* * *

**Author's Note**

**There you have it folks, my very first chapter.**

**I chose the mystic eyes over Gennosuke's dōjutsu because his is too powerful. Its basically a one shot kill technique, anyone who attacks him has their killing intent reversed on themselves and they commit suicide. The mystic eyes provide absolute defence but the user still has to rely on other methods to defeat their opponent so it's more of a tactical weapon.**

**Obviously Naruto will be out of character in this fic. He's diverging from his Canon personality at an early age so he won't be the naïve, poorly trained idiot we see in canon. He's being taught by Akeginu and will learn from Iga scrolls so expect his personality to be influenced by the Iga clan members (though not too much, most of them were psychos). Most of them are unpleasant people so don't expect Naruto to be a nice guy. He won't be dark/evil but he will be ruthless and cold to most outside his inner circle.**

**Pairings? Akeginu obviously. I also plan on Mei and likely Kagerou. I also want to do something with either Anko or Kurenai – I haven't decided which yet. NO Sakura, Hinata or Ino. The first is just hell no, the second has been done way too much (plus she's better suited to canon Naruto not my one) , and I never really cared for the third. Any further suggestions are welcome.**

**Next chapter will feature Naruto's training and some scenes showing off Naruto's development and new skills.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Iga Ryu

_**Chapter 2 Iga-Ryu**_

**_Hey people! Tibo here._**

**_This chapter is basically about Naruto's training. I feel it is necessary (instead of a general timeskip) to demonstrate why Naruto is different from his canon counterpart as well as build up Naruto and Akeginu's relationship. There will be a few of these type of chapters leading up to his 'graduation'. I want his progression to be gradual rather than immediate. He will be strong by the time canon commences. _**

**_ Also, for people who haven't read Basilisk, this will allow me to explain the techniques Naruto will be using that derive from the manga.  
_**

**_Note, everyone will be a few years older in this fic. It's nothing too major, there won't be any significant differences in character portrayal. It's just that I feel 12-13 is too young _****_for the responsibilities thrust upon them in canon. Realistically, o_**nly the truly exceptionally and lucky ones would have survived, not to mention all the mental trauma they would be suffering — seriously Naruto would have PTSD after Wave. 

**_So the graduating age will be around age 14-15 depending (and all corresponding events will occur later as well). They're still young, but they're more mature mentally and physically.  
_**

**_In response to some reviews/questions from last chapter:_**

**ShINaiX****_: _**_It was my initial intention to restrict the Basilisk characters to just Akeginu; however, I have since realised that I was wasting a potential resource. I intend to include Hotarubi and several Kouga nin. I have no intention of bringing Oboro back since Naruto will function as Akeginu's redemption. As much as I like Tenzen (as a villain) he's too strong a personality, I want Naruto to take charge in this rather than deferring to Tenzen.  
_

_In regards to Kouga ninja I have something planned with Kagerou and one other Kouga ninja. I prefer to keep the cast small so I can have more in depth characterization rather than a large cast of shallow characters._

_You're right regarding Akeginu and the other women - it will be a source of conflict later on._

**SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan****_: _**_I will endeavour to explain more of the Basilisk elements for future installments. I tend to write with the assumption that the audience has read Basilisk so I'll have to try and write it as though as though I'm introducing original characters. Expect a few names to be thrown around in the next couple of chapters though (can always look up the Basilisk wiki if desperate). I recommend reading the manga, its licensed and really good (be warned its not anything like Naruto though – mature audience only – extremely violent, sexual assault etc)_

**Roboguy45**: _You're right, I didn't go into any detail in regards to setting. In this fic Naruto's world is sort of post apocalyptic with contemporary elements, past elements and fantasy elements. So my timeline would be: Sengoku Iga/Kouga feud 21st century world goes to crap (Age of endless war I think its called in canon) Sage of Six Paths Naruto. Naruto's world has elements from feudal japan and modern elements (DNA etc) so it's a reasonable supposition, though I didn't really explain any of it (couldn't be bothered and its not really necessary)._

* * *

**[Standard disclaimer: I do not own Basilisk or Naruto.]**

**_2 years later – Naruto aged 8_**

Bright rays of sunlight seeped through the large gaps in the cavern roof, illuminating two dancing figures in the courtyard below. Their movements graceful, both choreographed and improvised. One would move, the other would respond and on they continued, back and forth, occasionally meeting in a clash of blood, steel and sweat. In between the sharp echoes of metal against metal, Naruto's laboured breathing could be heard as he struggled to keep up with his teacher's frantic pace.

"Faster! You won't last long with reactions like that, Naruto," yelled Akeginu, her kodachi almost removing Naruto's head from his shoulders.

Naruto said nothing as he felt the edge of her blade whisper past the top of his head. He was used to Akeginu's baiting. Whenever they sparred she would tease, prod, chastise, mock, do just about anything to provoke a rash reaction out of him. It was simple provocation, a useful tactic to be sure, but he wasn't an idiot — well, at least not anymore. He may have fell for that trick a year ago, but she had literally beaten the habit out of him. You could only get burned so many times before you finally learned your lesson. So this time he merely brushed the comment aside and focused on his next move.

His actions enticed a small smile out of Akeginu. It seems she approved of his self-control. However, he wasn't given time dwell on it as Akeginu quickly attacked again, unleashing a barrage of sword strikes at his body.

Akeginu was a fast and athletic fighter, her moves were characterized by speed and precision rather than brute force and strength. She had a habit of reversing her grip on her kodachi, often attacking him one handed from just about any angle. This freed up her movements, allowing her to combine her kenjutsu with some impressive taijutsu moves and acrobatics. **(1)**

He dodged most of her attacks and parried the ones he couldn't. Like Akeginu he was using a kodachi, he had wanted a katana, but Akeginu told him he would have to wait until he was older and was better able to handle the increase in weight and length.

He launched his own attacks at Akeginu. A slash at her shoulder, a thrust to her throat, however she flipped out of range with handspring before closing the gap between them with extraordinary speed. The blow she landed to his solar plexus brought him to his knees, retching.

_Damn it, _he thought in frustration._ I've been training like a madman for two years and I still can't touch her_.

It wasn't that he hadn't improved, his current self was incomparable to the weakling he was before, but Akeginu was just too good. She had an answer for everything he threw at her and after two years of training he had a lot of moves to throw.

Over the last two years Akeginu had taught him the fundamentals of Iga ninjutsu, the Iga-ryu. Under her guidance he learned the basics of Iga's kenjutsu, taijutsu, shinobi-iri, and shuriken jutsu. Initially, he wanted to learn showy jutsu like the ninja in the village used, however she quickly disabused him of that.

A true ninja wields deception as a weapon, uses stealth and tactics to win a fight, not flashy moves. With the right strategy, and the skills to implement it, he should be able to win most fights with a single well aimed blow.

Ninjas are creatures of subtly not brute force fighters. A ninja didn't need a thousand different moves just strong fundamentals, a sharp mind and a few well rehearsed techniques. Akeginu felt that a small, familiar arsenal of techniques that he knew like the back of his hand was a better option than a huge collection of moves which he only had a partial understanding of. In her opinion it was better to know how to use one techniques in fifty different ways than know fifty different techniques, but only know one application. It all made sense to him.

On that basis Akeginu had payed particular attention to his education in shinobi-iri— the art of stealth, silent movement. She wanted him to be able to completely mask his presence, to be all but invisible. It was a lot easier to kill a target if they didn't know you were there. Much safer as well. Killing a target before the fight even began was a better approach than a direct conflict, no matter how you looked at it.

In the last year he'd also familiarized himself with his mystic eyes. Akeginu was less help when it came to the dōjutsu. She didn't have the eyes herself, and could only tell him that the ability to neutralize any ninja technique came when the dōjutsu manifested and that it was always active. Nevertheless, he was determined to find out the limits of his eyes, and if possible discover how to turn his eyes on and off. In his opinion it would be problematic if he neutralized an ally's technique during battle.

It was true that he could completely neutralize any ninja technique, all that was required was eye contact. He'd practiced it with Akeginu. He'd been able to completely prevent her from using her creepy blood projection technique. He had also subtly tried it on some of the villagers. He'd discovered that by looking in the eyes of a Hyūga he could make them temporarily blind.

Unfortunately his mystic eyes were of little use when getting his arse kicked by Akeginu since they only had limited applicability against kenjutsu or taijutsu. They could neutralize any justus used to enhance kenjutsu or taijutsu such as a chakra enhanced movement or an elemental technique, but had absolutely no effect on the basic style themselves or purely physical abilities. So against someone like Akeginu who was skilled enough to beat him by just relying on her kenjutsu, his mystic eyes were useless. Leaving him to rely on other techniques in his possession. Akeginu had taught him to never rely solely on his dōjutsu no matter how powerful it was.

It was sound advice.

* * *

Akeginu examined her pupil from across the cavern floor. He'd changed dramatically over the last two years, maturing both physically and mentally. Long gone was that hideous orange tracksuit, she'd made him burn it immediately. Those moronic villagers were obviously trying to get him killed with that getup. Stealth and bright orange were _not_ a good mix.

He now wore a dark kosode with long sleeves which reached down to his hands. The distinctive feature of his clothes were his sleeves which covered his his entire arm and were considerably wider than regular. He wore a standard hakama for pants, with socks and sandals to complete his look. **(2) **His clothes looked black, but were actually an extremely dark navy blue. Pure black could stand out just as much as white in the darkness. The colour was too hard, softer colours would define his shape less. It was the same outfit that a former compatriot of hers wore.

Naruto flicked his blond hair out of his eyes as he started to get up of the ground. He had grown his hair out long over the last two years and tied it back in a loose ponytail though he allowed a few bangs to fall down in a fringe across his face.

"Alright, I'm ready to go again sensei," said Naruto, having gotten up after spending several minutes retching on the cavern floor.

She smiled at him as he got back into his fighting stance. It was different from the one she used. For starters he used a katana rather than a kodachi. She'd taught him Tenzen Yakushiji's kenjutsu as well as her own, and he had adapted very well to both forms. Though he preferred to use the former.

She wasn't arrogant enough to believe she was a better swordsman than Tenzen and could freely admit that Tenzen was the best swordsman in Iga. The man had perfected his style over centurie_s_. She saw no reason why Naruto could not benefit from all that hard work, especially considering the similarities the boy shared with Tenzen. Both had a symbiotic relationship with a demon that gave them unbelievable regeneration powers. She wondered if Naruto would stop aging like Tenzen had, the man was at least four centuries old when he died.

Tenzen's style meant Naruto's sheath was located on his waist rather than on the back like most ninja. Tenzen was adept at Battōjutsu, and so Naruto would need to be as well. The battōjutsu was still a work in progress.

They had gotten his sword from one of the storage vaults located in the ruins. That old fox Ieyasu had the Iga techniques sealed away, no doubt to prevent anyone else from ever using them again without his express permission. The bastard was too power hungry to destroy the techniques completely, they were a potential resource after all. Instead, he had the techniques along with a lot of Iga weapons and writings sealed away by Hattori Hanzo and some monks in various vaults located throughout the village.

She had managed to find and gain access to all of them over the years. Though she had only shown Naruto the weapons vault; she didn't want him reading some of the scrolls until he was ready.

_Kami, he could end up dead or disfigured like Jingorou, _thought Akeginu with concern.

After taking Naruto to the weapons vault, which was pretty much an underground armoury the boy picked out a katana. It had a dark wooden handle with no guard. The saya was made of the same dark wood giving the katana the appearance of a curved piece of timber when sheathed.

Thinking back over the two years she concluded that she was very pleased with the boy's development. He was a natural ninja and was progressing at an astounding rate. Although that was no surprise, after all he has Iga blood running through his veins. They were the best for a reason.

He was a natural at kenjutsu and was adapting to Tenzen's style well. He'd be quite formidable when he's older. She hadn't let his skill with the sword detract from the rest of his education though. He was coming along nicely in Taijutsu, though she couldn't teach him Rousai's unique taijutsu since Naruto didn't have Rousai's unique body structure. She had no intention of changing Naurto's body like Rousai had done to his own. The man may have been able to stretch his limbs to any length but he had stunted his own growth and was left deformed. Techniques like that was one of the reasons why the ninja of Iga were seen as monsters and were sealed away by Hattori Hanzo the 1st. She wouldn't repeat past mistakes, the Iga nin of her time had been creatures of darkness. Naruto needed to be equally adept in both the light and the dark.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. "That's enough for today Naruto. Go cool down and have a rest."

Naruto let out a relieved breath and collapsed to the floor with a thud. She smiled at that the exaggerated collapse. He was far more reserved than when she first met him, no longer loud and brash, but he'd kept some of his eccentricities.

_Probably genetic_, she thought.

She looked at Naruto with something akin to approval in her eyes. She might not show it much, but she was proud of the boy. She knew Iga's ninpo training was brutal. But he needed to be prepared; any weakness would prove fatal on the battlefield. Some pain now would save his life in the future.

She let a slight smile form on her face, when she was done with him Naruto would be the best nin Iga had ever produced. With the skills she taught him, the Tenzen like healing that he got from that fox demon, and the mystic eyes, he'd have no equal.

E_specially among those fools playing ninja in the village…always yelling out their attacks. Idiots._

On that note it was time to add another weapon to Naruto arsenal. She walked off towards the weapons vault intent on finding a particular item for Naruto.

* * *

Naruto sat on a ledge overlooking the ruins. It was an amazing sight. The ruins themselves were nestled in a large cavern in the forest floor, surrounded by amazing natural rock features and beautiful greenery. It was likely that the village was once located in a valley of some sort as a stream flowed to the east of ruins. The water feature and natural sunlight which flowed through the large gaps in the cavern roof allowed for vegetation to flourish in the hollow, which also attracted a few animals. The place was beautiful and pretty inaccessible unless you knew where the hidden entrances to one of the connected cave systems were, _or fell through the a gap in the cavern roof like I did,_ thought Naruto.

"Naruto, do you know what this is?"

The question brought Naurto out of his thoughts. He looked over his shoulder at Akeginu who was approaching him with something in her hands. He took a closer look and noticed that she was holding some sort of extremely thin…wire?

"That's ninja wire," replied Naruto. He recognized it; he'd seen something similar in one of the few ninja stores he was actually allowed into.

"Not quite…it's actually a rope or more accurately a filament," said Akeginu as she uncurled the 'rope' and held it out for Naruto to see.

Naruto gaped at that, there was no way it was a rope. It was too thin, practically invisible to the eye unless viewed in the right light.

Seeing Naruto confusion, Akeginu continued "These are a special sort of… filament developed by the Iga clan a long, long time ago. We call them Ebon Ropes. They're made from hair and have been treated with oils to make them as hard as steel.

"Hair?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. Being made from hair makes them a lot finer, therefore harder to detect, and sharper than standard ninja wire. The Iga clan used a special form of alchemy to make the hair filament stronger than steel and more flexible than wire," replied Akeginu with a smile. She was proud of her clan's secret techniques.

Akeginu paused for a moment as if reminiscing about something "They were used to devastating effect by a compatriot of mine named Yashamaru. He could use these ropes like they were an extension of his limbs." She remembered that no one could get near Yashamaru when he had all of his ropes in play; unfortunately those Kouga bastards had used deception to kill him.

_He always was a bit of a hot head, they wouldn't have gotten near him otherwise,_ regretted Akeginu.

Naruto reached out to touch the wire "Be careful! They're extremely sharp. They're designed to cut through steel and bone. You could easily lose a finger if you're not careful," warned Akeginu.

Naruto cringed at that and then gently grasped the ropes. They were incredibility fine, just like the hair they were made out of, yet as strong as steel. _How the hell do you actually use these in battle? _Naruto thought to himself.

"I'll need to show you the secret alchemy used to make them. The finer you can make the ropes the sharper they'll be. Yashamaru used to make them from women's hair … you'll have to be creative in sourcing the raw material." Akeginu took a few seconds to consider what she said before adding "You better stay away from my head." The threat of grievous bodily harm was heavily implicit in her words.

"This is a secret technique Naruto. I can't stress how important that is. You cannot show anyone how to make these ropes- period. If anyone finds out or spies on you making the ropes, you kill them. Got it?" ordered a very serious Akeginu.

Naruto nodded his head, she had warned him before about keeping the clan techniques secret. The techniques had been developed and cultivated over centuries and were extremely valuable. Any ninja would kill to get their hands on them.

Naruto held up the rope and asked "Am I going to be learning how to use this?"

"Yes. It's a good idea to have a back up weapon. I'm pretty good with the kama (one handed scythe) myself" said Akeginu with more than a little pride, though she looked a bit wistful at the mention of the kama. **(3)**

"You may even find that you're better with the ebon ropes than with the katana," continued Akeginu.

Naruto grasped the ropes with a smile. Finally something new to learn, he'd spent the last two years learning fundamentals so it was going to be nice to train in something different for a while.

While Naruto was daydreaming about training with the ropes Akeginu was thinking possibilities. If the boy proved adept with the ebon ropes she could teach him to use the sword and ropes simultaneously. Yes, he could use the sword to draw an opponents attention while attacking them from the flanks with the ropes.**(4)** She was practically giddy with the idea of teaching Naruto such a technique. _He, he, by the time she was done with him the boy would be one of, no THE strongest nin in history._

* * *

**Foot Notes**

**_(1) _**_As per the anime fight scene between her and Jouske._

**_(2) _**_Same outfit as Yashimaru. Check out chapter 1 or episode 1 of Manga/anime if you're interested__**.**_

**_(3) _**_Reference to Koshirou Chikuma, Akeginu's former romance interest__**.**_

**_(4)_**_Kaori's style from Toaru no Index. For those who are familiar with her she attacks faster then people can see and they assume she's doing so with the sword she's holding when in fact she using wires to do the damage, the sword never leaves the sheath._

* * *

**Author's note:**

**_Originally this was part of one large chapter however it was too big (well in excess of 10,000 words) so I split into several smaller chapters of which this is the first. I found this made it easy to edit and read. Good news though, since I've written the whole 'big' chapter expect the next few updates relatively quickly(I just have to edit the next two chapters)._**

**_I hope I managed to differentiate Akeginu from people like Danzo in this chapter. Although she's training him harshly and giving him a cold mindset, she's not just turning him into a disposable weapon. She is giving him agency, something he's never really had before. Sure she wants him to be loyal to his Iga heritage but mostly she just wants him to be a good representative for her clan. She's giving him the tools to forge his own path, she won't want him to be tied to the village once he's an adult._**

**_For Basilisk fans Naruto won't be learning all of Iga's techniques –he'll learn a few but I don't want him having a huge arsenal since I won't be able to write about all the techniques (in detail anyway). I have something special planed for Hotaru Bi's skills.I also plan on him learning some Kouga technique's but that's a long way off._**

**_Tune in next chapter to see Naruto learn Akeginu's signature move.._**


	3. Chapter 3 - Blood and Sealed Scrolls

_**Chapter 3 – Blood and the Forbidden Scrolls**_

_**Hey folks, Tibo's back.**_

_**In this chapter we see Naruto learning another technique. I'm spending time on these techniques because I'm trying to demonstrate how difficult these techniques are to learn, and even though Naruto is very skilled and intelligent, its still going to take him years to master them. Its one of the reasons I upped the graduation age, I want Naruto to be strong when he graduates and it just isn't feasible to have him master the Iga techniques by 12.**_

_**This chapter will also feature more Naruto/Akeginu development. We'll see a bit more of the woman and her personable side rather than just her sensei side this chapter. Important for romance purposes, at some stage Naruto will need to stop seeing her as his sensei (still a while off).**_

_**For the record the ebon ropes are pretty much the same as Walter's filaments in Hellsing, they're just called ropes because they're made from hair.**_

_**In response to some questions from last chapter:**_

_**coldblue: **You got it, I have something special played for Saemon. He was my favourite characters and probably the most competent shinobi in the manga. In regards to Kouga techniques, he'll be learning Saemon's. I like Goyoubu'sas well. I hadn't considered Jubei but his is a pretty amazing skill, don't forget his kunai in the throat trick either. Chikuma technique will feature in the near future and I already have something planed for the summons and spirit link._

_I have every intention of ending the blood feud but I still have to come up with a plausible way of doing so, though Naruto being an Iga without any hatred for Kouga is a perfect instrument to stop the feud._

_**Roboguy45:**_ _Wasn't Iga Nenki's hair technique pretty much the same? I plan on Naruto having Nenki's technique, but not until later. I don't want him to have too many techniques too early as it would be implausible for him to learn all of them too quickly. Expect it to feature later on though._

* * *

**[Standard disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Basilisk.]**

_**2 years later – Naruto aged 10 (1 month before academy)**_

Naruto stood still, eyes focused on the straw training dummy in front of him. Drawing a deep breath, he raised both of his arms out in front of his body; his wrists limp, fingers hanging loosely, pointed at the ground. With a slight flick of his fingers the ground on either side of him erupted in a cloud of dust as an unseen force flew from Naruto's hands towards the dummy at an astounding speed. As the twin forces moved towards the dummy they left behind two deep surgical incisions in the ground.

To most experienced nin it would look like two blades made from wind were heading towards the dummy, however that was merely the impression given by the invisible force. In reality no chakra was being used, and the force was actually two invisibly thin ropes moving from Naruto fingers. The two ropes overshot the dummy and then…nothing.

Naruto groaned he'd overshot the target once again. _Damn, why won't it work?_ A frustrated Naruto asked himself. The ropes were supposed to arc around the target allowing him to wrap the target in the ropes, and squeeze until the ropes sliced through the armor and into flesh. **(1)** However, he just couldn't get the ropes to arc around the target like he wanted them to.

Grasping the ropes with his callused fingertips he let out a sigh. It was going to take a lot of hard work to be able to move around a battlefield while using these. He'd taken to wearing long fingerless black gloves that reached his forearms. The gloves allowed him to wrap the ropes around his wrist for easy deployment and protection – it also allowed him to block a sword strike with his wrists. **(2)**

It had taken 6 months just to learn how to handle the ropes without cutting himself to pieces - he had more than a few scars on his fingers and hands. The ropes were truly deadly weapon, as dangerous to the wielder as they were to the enemy. It would take years to learn how to use them effectively.

Akeginu-sensei had told him that nothing would be able to touch him once he mastered the ebon ropes but also that it was a long road to full mastery of the technique. After learning how to handle the ropes he had started to learn how to the deploy them. Akeginu said that eventually he'd be able to control the ropes with his feet as well as his hands, but he was years away from that level of control. At the moment even the most basic attacks were impossible as he was unable to achieve the degree of accuracy required to aim the ropes.

"Stupid ropes won't do what they're told," muttered Naruto.

While Naruto was cursing his ropes he failed to notice someone sneaking up behind him until two slender arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"Got ya Naruto-kun," teased a sly Akeginu. "You know if I were an enemy you'd be dead by now."

"Not fair, I was distracted," said Naruto knowing full well that fairness had no place in the world of shinobi.

"Of course you were, that's the perfect time to strike," replied Akeginu. She was playing with him again, it was a common occurrence.

He was more than a bit disconcerted that she could still sneak up on him without him sensing her. _Looks like I still need more training, _he reflected. One day he hoped he could return the favour.

Naruto considered his sensei for a moment. She was a strange one. One moment she was cold and infallible, this was often the case when she was in what he had come to call 'sensei mode', the next she was teasing and playful like she was right now. When appropriate she was also capable of showing compassion. During one of the few times Naruto was in need of someone to lean on she would provide for him without hesitation. He still remembered a moment of weakness he had shortly after meeting her…

* * *

_**Flashback (Naruto age 6)**_

Naruto sat on the ground in contemplation. He wondered why his life turned out the way it did. Why was he forced to carry the burden of the Kyūbi? That particular revelation had been an unpleasant surprise, but at least he knew why he was hated, irrational though it was. What he wondered more than anything else is what happened to his parents and why he was forced to face these hardships alone.

"What's wrong Naruto?" asked Akeginu concerned about the boys demeanor. A cloud of depression was hanging over the boy.

"I was just thinking about my parents." Naruto replied.

"Oh," said Akeginu. She knew he was an orphan and that he likely had some abandonment issues. The trauma he suffered before meeting her would have only compounded those issues.

"Do you think my parents loved me?" Naruto asked.

"Of course they did Naruto. All parents love their children."

"Then why was I…why am I always alone?"

Akeginu paused, she knew she had to tread carefully here "Given the time you were born… its more than likely that they were ki… were a victim of the Kyubi attack"

Naruto clenched his teeth at that, he had considered that fact but didn't want to admit that something inside him, something so intimately connected to him had been responsible for his parent's deaths. It was yet another painful factor in his life to be attributed to the fox. He didn't know which was worse, that his parents didn't want him and abandoned him or that they were dead and he'd never be able to meet them.

A single tear started to fall down his cheek. The feeling of loneliness could be so crippling sometimes.

Akeginu reach out and pulled Naruto into her breast "Don't cry Naruto, you'll never be alone again."

_**End Flashback**_

* * *

Naruto frowned at his memory. Looking back at it he was a bit embarrassed at his behaviour, though deep down he knew that an emotional outburst like that had been necessary - he'd have probably gone crazy otherwise, he had no desire to carry those emotions around like a burden for the rest of his life.

At the time he was surprised that Akeginu hadn't just hit him in the head and told him to man up like she usually did whenever he would complain about something, but now having known the woman for several years, he knew that she was aware that mental issues could cripple the strongest warriors. He had little doubt that she knew he needed to work those emotions out of his system before they became a hindrance, that or maybe she just liked him and didn't want to see him upset. He never really knew what was going on in that pretty head of hers.

Since then, they had become very close; she was his sensei and his one true friend. He tried not to think about the fact that his only friend was a dead person. He was reasonably close to Ayame-san from the ramen store, though his visits to the place were rarer now – he had to dress up in that orange get up whenever he went to the village so he tried to keep his visits to the absolute minimum, but she was more of a good acquaintance than a real friend, he kept a lot of secrets from her after all.

He was still close to the Hokage though there was some tension there from the fact that the old man was hiding the fox from him. He knew the old man had noticed it but to date he hadn't brought it up. He visited him about once per week, again in the orange get up, he didn't want to arouse the old man's suspicion less he use that ball of his to spy on him. He'd caught a glimpse of the crystal ball on one of his previous visits.

No, Akeginu was the one person he relied on more than anyone else and the only person he really trusted. He felt more connected to this long dead village than he ever felt to Konoha, a place that held only bitter memories for him.

* * *

Akeginu arched one her finely sculptured eyebrows at her pupil. He seemed to be thinking about something. He was _always _thinking about something. _I suppose that's my fault, _she thought. She'd given him all of Tenzen's old writings on military strategy and ninpo tactics. No doubt her pupil was over analyzing her actions again.

Akeginu let out a sigh, she had come to talk to Naruto about some new training but she wasn't finished having fun with the boy just yet. Naruto could play the cold, calculating prodigy act quite well but she knew which buttons to push to get a rise out of him.

"If you're done _playing_ with your ropes I have something to teach you," said Akeginu with a grin.

Naruto twitched at that, _'playing'_, he thought, "I'm not _playing_ with anything" he replied in an annoyed tone. _Crap, _he kicked himself mentally, he knew she was trying to goad an outburst out of him and he had just given her the satisfaction of seeing him riled up.

"What are you going to teach me?" Naruto asked purposely ignoring his previous comment and the teasing sensei who currently had her head resting on his shoulder.

"**Blood projection**," she whispered in his ear.

Naruto was surprised at this, and if he was being completely honest with himself, a little uncomfortable with her close proximity, but she was going to teach him another of Iga's secret techniques. **(3)**

_Finally, I can move on from that stupid water walking practice, _thought Naruto. He had learnt all the chakra control exercises over the last year after Akeginu-sensei had him break into the library and 'borrow' a pile of books on the subject of chakra, a concept still foreign to her. She'd studied the books and concluded that Naruto needed to learn how to control his chakra, which would be higher than normal because of the Fox. After all control was key to using any power, chakra or otherwise.

He'd mastered all those exercises months ago and had learnt Henge no Jutsu to practice his chakra usage. It was pretty easy. He'd taken to using his old image of an orange tracksuit wearing moron and walking around the village. It saved having to change his clothes and cover his hair every time he went into the village.

Now he'd finally get to learn his first Iga jutsu. Akeginu had been tight lipped in regards to Iga ninjutsu. Apparently most of them were dangerous to use and she didn't want him learning them to he was older.

"Wow, I'd figured you get me to learn another easy technique like bunshin or something," said Naruto.

"Well, you'll be starting academy this year so we'll have less time to train. I would rather teach you some of the Iga jutsus while I have you here all the time. You can learn those beginner ones any time, even at that poor excuse of a learning institution."

Akeginu had visited the academy in sprit form, and she was less than impressed at what she saw. Children were sent out into the field as genin without anything near the level of training required. None of them would have lasted a second against genin from Iga, something Naruto would make patently obvious in the future.

The state of the kunoichi was particularly appalling. Ninety percent of the girls where only there to ogle the boys, disgraceful. Any self respecting Kunoichi should have the boys eating out of the palm of her hand. They didn't' even teach seduction techniques there!

Moving on to the matter at hand "Alright pay attention," said Akeginu with a clap. "My blood projection technique allows me to manipulate my own blood. So watch and learn."

With that Akeginu started secreting blood from the pores in her skin. Naruto had to admit it was a very disturbing image; blood literally started pouring from her eyes and face. Suddenly the blood defied physics and leapt out at him hitting him straight in the face. _Gross. _he'd managed to close his eyes before the blood blinded him but it was now all over his face. Wiping his face with his hands, he opened his eyes and intended to tell Akeginu off but stopped as the entire room was covered in a red mist, he couldn't see a thing. There was a pungent smell of metallic blood in the air as well which led him to conclude that the mist was actually made from her blood, he couldn't sense Akeginu anywhere either.

"Got ya" said Akeginu from behind him, she had her kodachi at his throat and a small smile on her face. _How did she get behind me like that, _thought a confounded Naruto. He should have at sensed her moving, but he had sensed nothing. Did the mist affect him that much?

The blood quickly dispersed and Akeginu sheathed her kodachi before coming to stand in front of Naruto.

"What'd you think of that?" Akeginu asked. She wanted to hear her students initial impressions.

"Useful," said Naruto contemplating the technique. Tactically the mist was extremely useful – it pretty much blocked off most of an opponent's most useful senses. Sight and smell were both gone. He said as much to Akeginu.

"It's also very versatile," noted Naruto thinking about how she'd almost blinded him as well. "You've probably blinded people with that technique more than a few times."

Akeginu nodded at her students observations "I certainly have. In close combat the blinding trick is particularly useful."

"The blood mist is amazing. I couldn't sense you at all" said Naruto, he was very impressed.

Akeginu smiled at that.

"The mist is an assassination technique, but you can also use it for tactical withdrawals as well. You're cutting off the opponent's senses, they won't be able to see, hear or smell you," explained Akeginu.

"Hear?" Naruto asked.

"The bloods droplets interfere with sound waves, unless you're stupidly loud in your movements or you're up against someone with unnaturally sharp hearing . Also you'll be literally saturating the atmosphere with you chakra as well so no body will be able to sense your chakra either."

"Wow," said Naruto, thinking of the possibilities. With that technique he could approach any opponent in complete invisibility, his very own silent killing technique.

Naruto was now even more excited, he'd never seen a technique like this before and he was pretty sure none of the Konoha shinobi could do anything similar.

"You can also use the blood to tag an opponent. You'll be able to track anyone you smear with your blood no matter how good they are at hiding themselves."

Naruto liked the idea of that.

"So you ready to bleed?" Akeginu asked with a slightly creepy smile.

Naruto cringed a little, this was going to be one of those tortures sessions masquerading as training.

"Now don't look like that, we'll only train for a couple of hours. I've got an assignment I want you to complete tonight," said Akeginu as she dragged Naruto towards their training ground.

* * *

_**Two hours later**_

Akeginu and Naruto sat down in Naruto's makeshift house; he'd fixed up one of the old ruins to live in as a project shortly after he decided to move here permanently.

"What's the test?" Naruto asked, he was cautious, the last 'test' she had him go on involved extracting venom from one of those huge spiders in the forest, that didn't work out well for anyone involved.

"I want you to infiltrate the Hokage residence and steal something valuable."

Naruto was intrigued, that was one of the most well protected places in Konoha. He might be able to run around ANBU in broad daylight but this time they would be on guard and completely serious, he'd be in a lot of trouble if he was caught there. He smiled at that, he loved a good challenge.

"When do I start?"

* * *

_**2:00am, Location: Hokage Residence, Konoha:**_

Naruto jumped down from the wall that surrounded the Hokage's house. With a few quick steps he was at the side of the building and started scaling it. After a few minutes he reached his entry point – a window on the eastern face of the building. It only took him a couple of seconds to unlock the window before sliding stealthy in through the opening.

"Entry complete," Naruto whispered to himself.

Getting into the building had been laughably easy, security was so bad even an idiot with only the barest basics of ninja training could've gotten in. He didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned.

Although there had been a few ANBU patrolling the area the tower was surprisingly sparse when it came to security. _These chumps are lucky I'm not an assassin, _thought Naruto with his opinion of ANBU lowering with every unhindered step he took deeper into the building. The corridors were completely empty.

He had already decided what he wanted to steal. The Hokage kept a number of sealed scrolls here, so he'd be relieving him of one of them. **(4) **With a bit of luck they wouldn't even notice someone had ever taken one.

Moving on, he crept towards the room that housed the scrolls but stopped. He heard something. Someone was moving in his direction quickly. They would be on him in a few seconds. He resisted the urge to draw his katana, this was an infiltration mission. His sharp eyesight caught a glimpse of the Hokage moving his way.

_Did he sense me? _Thought a worried Naruto. Thinking quickly Naruto made the Ram hand seal. With a poof, Naruto was replaced with henge. He smiled and waited for the Hokage.

* * *

The Hokage had awoken a few minutes earlier, he'd sensed someone moving through his house. The sensation was faint, barley any presence at all. Whoever it was, they were very, very good, but he wasn't Hokage for nothing. He may be half blind but his other senses were still top notch. With a grumble he got out of bed and went to investigate. He intended to give a piece of his mind to whoever interrupted his sleep.

Walking quickly he made his way down to where he sensed the faint presence. He was sure whoever it was down this corridor; he couldn't see the person yet as his eyesight was pretty bad these days but he could sense them. He felt a slight chakra spike, faint but it was there, the person had just done something.

Moving quickly down the corridor he came face to face with the person who was standing before him, making absolutely no effort to hide. The sight caused his mind to freeze. He stood mouth agape in shock, standing before him stood the most beautiful woman he'd seen in years and she was naked!

Midnight black hair, flawless white skin, and those breasts… the Hokage couldn't take in anymore, his perverse thoughts sent his mind into overdrive and any further thoughts were halted by a massive nosebleed which sent the old man flying backwards. He slipped into unconsciousness with a stupid grin on his face.

* * *

Naruto smirked at the pervert's unconscious form. The man may be the strongest ninja in the village but he had one glaring weakness – he was a huge pervert. Naruto had seen him reading those Icha Icha books on more than on occasion. He knew that the Hokage wouldn't be able to handle seeing his sensei naked, though admittedly he thought it'd only distract the old man enough for him to make his escape not knock him out completely. He would have sweat dropped if he wasn't in such a serious mood, he had almost been caught.

His smirk turned into a frown as he observed the old man still had a perverted smile on his face even while knocked out. No doubt dreaming about his sensei. She'd kill him if she ever found out what he'd done. He thought that was a bit hypocritical, he knew she wasn't above using her charms to complete a mission but he was pretty sure she'd still kill him for using this particular henge.

_She'd probably be very interested in how I knew what she looked like naked,_thought a worried Naruto.

Shaking off thoughts of his impending demise, Naruto left the Hokage lying in the corridor and proceeded to the room where the scrolls were located. Naruto stopped and examined the door for traps. Finding nothing he opened the door and stepped into the room. Naruto observed that the room was full of scrolls.**(5)**

_Are all these scrolls forbidden techniques?_

"You'd think they would have the room sealed or some sort of security system in place for something so important," commented Naruto.

It was like they had never conceived that someone would break into the Hokage's house. _Fools, _thought Naruto, they were basically asking for someone to steal their forbidden techniques. The vaults back in the ruins had more traps then you could poke a stick at. Most of them were pretty dangerous as well – that acid one was nasty.

He looked at the collection of scrolls poorly organized on the shelf. He had no intention of stealing a bunch of forbidden techniques, they were forbidden for a reason and he had no immediate desire to get himself killed, he was just here for one scroll. He randomly picked a scroll from the wall and unsealed it.

"**Taju** **Kage Bunshin?" **A clone technique? He was intrigued, why would a clone technique be forbidden?

He could find out later, it was time to make an exit. He briefly considered taking another scroll but thought better of it, he didn't want them to notice anything missing and he already had one problem tonight with the old man. Naruto withdrew the spare scroll he had strapped to his back. He had brought a replacement which he had swiped from the library. It looked pretty much the same except it wasn't sealed and contained a basic henge no jutsu. He replaced the forbidden scroll with the fake, hopefully they wouldn't actually open every scroll.

Strapping the scroll to his back Naruto passed the unconscious Hokage and made his way out of the compound the same way he entered and back to the ruins. Easy.

* * *

"Look what I've got!" exclaimed a triumphant Naruto as he entered the ruins.

Akeginu looked over at Naruto, he had a smile on his face and was waving a large scroll around "You're back, and does that scroll mean you were successful?"

"Sure does," said Naruto, walking up to Akeginu.

"Any trouble?" Akeginu asked.

"Nope," lied Naruto, he had no intention of informing his sensei about the 'Hokage incident'. "Security was surprisingly light so I had no trouble entering and exiting the building. No traps in the room protecting scrolls either."

"That's odd." She couldn't understand why they would leave a room with a forbidden scroll in it unprotected. Was it of no value to them? Only one way to find out I suppose "So, what'd you end up taking?" Akeginu asked.

"Taju Kage Bunshin. It's a forbidden technique from the Hokage's library."

"A clone technique?" Akeginu asked. She didn't know why a clone technique would be forbidden, techniques were only forbidden if they were dangerous to the user or were just so terrible that they were deemed unacceptable to use, though the latter was a foreign concept to her, in her time there was no such thing. Iga operated under the 'by means necessary' principle.

"There are some other techniques there as well, but nothing I recognized."

"Open it up," said Akeginu, she wanted to see what made this clone technique deserving of the classification 'forbidden'.

Naruto opened up the scroll and they both started reading it.

"It seems it makes solid clones," said Naruto.

Interesting. Solid clones, they would require a lot of chakra but that doesn't seem reason enough to make it forbidden though. A high chakra requrinment shouldn't be a problem for Naruto "Give it a try," said Akeginu.

Naruto made the requisite hand seals and poof several clones of himself appeared.

Naruto walked over to one and flicked it in the forehead.

"Owe," said the Clone.

"Yep, definitely solid," observed Naruto.

Akeginu walked around one of the clones in a circle before quickly drawing her kodachi and slashing it across the clone's throat.

Naruto flinched as the clone dispelled, the memories from the clone's death were filtered back to him. _Amazing I just received the clones memories, _thought Naruto as the experience of having his throat cut played out in his mind.

"What's wrong Naruto?" Akeginu was watching Naruto with confusion. He had flinched when she dispelled the clone, and was now standing there with a blank look on his face. Was it just a reaction to the her killing his clone or something else?

"I felt that kill."

"You felt what?" Akeginu asked. She didn't understand what he was talking about, _'felt that kill'?_

"When you killed the clone its… memories filtered back to me," answered Naruto. He was still trying to process what had just happened.

Now, that got her interested. The clones memories could go back to the original when its dispelled. Amazing, think of the possibilities. You could have the clones read a book and receive all the knowledge, or you could have them train and receive the experience training. She didn't know if the clones were intelligent enough to understand what they were reading or if muscle memory worked like that but she was certainly going to have Naruto find out. It also solved their academy problem, Naruto could just send a shadow clone instead.

Thinking quickly Akeginu looked at Naruto. "Alright Naruto, here is what we're going to do. I want you to test this jutsu out. Find out how long you can maintain the clone for, and how many you can create at one time. Then I want you to investigate this memory aspect, if it works like I think it does we may be able to use it with your training. Do it carefully though, we still don't know for sure why it was sealed. "

Naruto just looked at her. That was a mouthful; he was still trying to wrap his head around 'dying' like that.

"Well what are you waiting for, get to it."

Naruto sighed, it was impossible to stop her when she got thinking about his training. On the plus side he had a new technique to learn.

* * *

The Hokage sat in his office contemplating the night's events. A person had infiltrated his tower without out any of his ANBU noticing. She had to be exceptionally talented to achieve such a thing. How did she get in anyway, she wasn't exactly inconspicous. ANBU must have been sleeping on the job to miss her no matter how good she was or perhaps she used some technique, that might explain why she was naked. He smiled at the memory, it had been a long time since he'd seen something that good.

She hadn't even taken anything. Upon waking up he had immediately called ANBU and had them search for the woman but to no avail. He also had ANBU take an immediate inventory to see if anything was stolen but it seemed nothing had been disturbed. Was she a spy then, looking for confidential information? Perhaps he had scared her off, not likely since he had been unconscious, but it may have been enough for her to call off whatever mission she was on. She was probably scouting out the tower. Whatever the reason, security would have to be tightened after tonight incident. He couldn't have intruders in his tower, what if she had been an assassin, he may well have died.

Oh well it was no use worrying too much, no one was hurt, nothing had been stolen and he'd gotten to see something good. With a perverted grin he took out one of his Icha Icha books and started reading. He'd have to tell Jiraiya about this next time they met, he'd be so jealous.

* * *

_**1 week later**_

Naruto smiled at his creation. Standing before him was a carbon copy of himself, well almost a carbon copy. He had created a clone that looked like him but not him at the same time. It wore his old orange jumpsuit instead of shinobi clothes and had short spiky hair instead of a long ponytail. Plastered on its face was a big stupid grin that Naruto would never be caught dead making. _Yes, this is perfect, _thought Naruto.

The shadow clones had proven to be a useful technique. He'd discovered that he could indeed use them to train and learn, though there was limits – finding that out had resulted in the worst headache he'd ever had. It seemed that the brain could only handle so much information at any one time, so one had to monitor how long you used the clones for and regularly dispel rather than just leave them for days on end.

Akeginu didn't want the clones learning new things, she was still suspect as to their intelligence so any new skills or techniques were his responsibility. However she let him use the clones to sure up his fundamentals and chakra control. He'd also send a few to the library with instructions to read anything they could get there hands on. Hopefully by the end of his training he'd have read the entire library.

Yes, the clones had proven very useful and he was about to put them to further use. He had big plans for this particular clone, big plans. Over the past few years his presence in Konoha had been reduced significantly, he was still around but there was a marked drop off in his appearances. He'd taken to dressing up in his old clothes when in the village, and after he learned transformation jutsu he had simply henged into his former self around the village. But except for a weekly visit to the ramen stand and the Hokage he wasn't really in the village at all. It was time to change that.

ANBU no longer watched him anymore, once the beatings had stopped - around the same time he met Akeginu, the Hokage had stopped having ANBU watch him all the time. He made sure his apartment also looked used though he hoped no one looked in the fridge – _when was the last time I changed the milk?_ It only appeared that Naruto was still in the village. Some people still spat at him whenever he showed his face in the streets but he had been seen less and less as the years went on. However that couldn't go on, he couldn't risk the Hokage using his ball to find out where Naruto was all the time or one of the ANBU getting too curious and following him.

Therefore it was time to reintroduce Naruto to Konoha and this clone would be his instrument to do so. He planed on casting an illusion over the whole village, the only catch was he wasn't going to use any genjutsu. Starting today the village would fall under his illusion, with some sleight of hand and a single clone he'd make them think that he was nothing more than an idiot who was no threat to anyone, he couldn't see the villagers leaving him alone if he revealed himself to be a highly dangerous shinobi.

He had provided the clone with a specific set of instructions, he noticed if you gave them to much freedom they could go off and do their own thing. The clone was not to use any of his Iga techniques period. Secondly the clone was to act like someone who had not received an excellent education over the last six years, he was to be stupid, he wanted his ranking to be near the bottom of the class. He'd also given the clone a couple of annoying catch phrases to spout from time to time. Yep, he'd be one annoying personality. He also gave the clone permission to go prank without restraint.

With the clone out in the village and at the academy he would be free to finish his training as an Iga shinobi without interruption. Akeginu estimated that he'd be ready in about six more years which would mean he may have to fail the academy once or twice, but that was of no consequence. His Iga-ryu would far exceed anything he could learn at the academy. (**5)**

It would be a masterstroke of deception and incidentally his greatest prank to date. He was confident, people were stupid and the ones in Konoha particularly so. They'd have no problem believing whatever negative image he presented them with. Amazing to think that to fool an entire village he'd only needed a single clone and a large dash of stupidity. Well sensei did always say that the simplest deceptions were usually the best. With that thought he ordered the clone to head to his apartment in the village and begin its new life.

* * *

_Foot Notes:_

_**(1)Pretty much the same technique Yashamaru used against Shingo in chapter 1.**_

_**(2)Yashamaru's cool gloves.**_

_**(3)Or hidden jutsu I suppose, similar to the Nara clan's shadow technique - can't be copied by Sharingan.**_

_**(4)In my fic the sealed scroll is one of many, canon didn't mention what any of those other scrolls in the room were.**_

_**(5) So in regards to academy, students start at 12 finish at 16, Naruto gets in early at 10 but will 'fail' twice. In canon the maths didn't really add up, was he 2 years older than the rest or did he start early? Geniuses like Itachi and Kakashi graduated at 13 and 14. This allows Naruto's Iga education will be 10 years of intense training so he'll be very strong by the time he is 16 compared to the others.**_

* * *

_**Author's notes:**_

_**Okay so that was a little play on chapter 1 from canon. I figured that if chump…I mean canon Naruto could infiltrate and steal the scroll than kickass Iga Naruto could make it look easy.**_

_**Blood projection is obviously like Zabuza's technique but its probably better since the blood would be heavier and more viscous than water.**_

_**Naruto's not an idiot so he immediately notices Kage Bunshin's main advantage. He won't be relying on shadow clones at all in battle. Canon Naruto did because he had nothing else to use, Iga Naruto will have many skills so he won't need to rely on the technique. I mainly introduced it so there was a plausible reason for Naruto not to attend academy without having him permenantly leave the village.**_

_**Tune in next chapter for my first real action scene and Naruto's first true fight.**_


	4. Chapter 4 - A Passing Curiosity

_**Chapter 4 – A Passing Curiosity**_

_**Hey people, Tibo here.**_

_**This chapter is my first real fight scene. It's fairly short, but I'm just looking to provide a glimpse into Naruto's fighting style and how his techniques will come together. He has a strong opponent rather than just Naruto giving someone a beat down. This will be a precursor for a bigger confrontation sometime in the future.**_

_**In response to some questions:**_

_**Coldblue**__**:**_

_In regards to your question about the harem I don't plan on having Naruto having three wives or having a clan of women following him around. Rather the main pairing will be Akeginu but that relationship will have a slow build with some large obstacles to over come (first among them the fact that she is dead). So while that's developing Naruto will be getting some experience with other women, I'm thinking Kurenai or Anko early on._

_I will do something with Kagerou_ s_he had such a depressing time of it in Basilisk_, _she has an interesting 'bloodline' as well._

_**Chikuma**__** –**__ see next chapter._

_Naruto won't be ignorant of the council so he will be prudent with the use of his techniques. His mystic eyes will be a secret. Also __once__ he's a shinobi he'll have more protection from the civilian council anyway._

_**ShINaiX: T**__hat would be the prudent thing to do, on the other hand I like the idea of a dramatic change as well, not sure how I'll handle that just yet. I've already written Naruto giving Mizuki a massive beatdown during the graduation chapter (chapter 7) and the Hokage will witness that with his ball so we'll see._

**Slimr3:**_He's more worried about them demanding his techniques. Besides deceptions part of being a shin obi and there's empowerment knowing that everyone has absolutely no idea what his abilities truly are. I won't be documenting his clones activities anyway._

_**Serialkeller**__**: **__His techniques don't use hand seals so they can't really be copied. I'm making them of a similar nature to jutsu like the Nara clan's shadow one. I think they call them hidden jutsus, they can't be copied._

_Also __he__ won't be on team 7. I'm thinking of either him not being on a team and having Yugao be his instructor since he will imbalance any team he is on and she's a sword user, or placing him with 8 or 10._

_No real bashing, though Naruto won't think highly of either of them so you may get a few comments here and there, but he'll have a similar opinion of most of the rookies. Ultimately Sasuke, and Sakura will only have limited relevance to the story. They're side characters in this fic, Naruto won't really care what they do._

* * *

**[Standard disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Basilisk.]**

_**1 year later - Naruto Age 11**_

Curiosity is a dangerous thing, quite capable of getting you killed if you don't keep a handle on it. It has its benefits to be sure; often it's a catalyst for many great discoveries, but more often than not it only gets you in trouble.

Naruto was a naturally inquisitive person. It had a tendency to get him in trouble now and then, particularly if that inquisitiveness involved finding out what Akeginu looked like under that kimono of hers. But right now Naruto was curious as to what was happening inside the Uchiha clan compound.

He was currently perched on a tree just outside the compounds walls and was observing something fascinating. Two figures were literally butchering the entire Uchiha clan like farm animals.

_Amazing. So much for that vaunted strength the Uchiha clan is always talking about. They're putting up absolutely no fight whatsoever, _Naruto observed. Not that he cared. Most of the clan had treated him like trash in the past, in fact with the exception of Uchiha Itachi he couldn't say he thought well of any of them.

He had a high opinion of Itachi, the man was a consummate professional, if a little odd. He also knew that Itachi had been responsible for saving his life several times before he became aware of his heritage. He was also unfailingly polite whenever they had met in the past. Not that that would stop him from killing Itachi if he needed to.

What was interesting was that he recognized one of the figures killing the clan as Itachi.

_Why would he be killing his own clan?_ _It didn't make any sense, and who's the creep in the orange mask? _So many unknowns were making Naruto curious.

Yes, curiosity is definitely dangerous. Should he risk his life to try and find out what the hell was going on or just sit here and enjoy the show. After a couple of minutes of indecision Naruto heard a child scream in agony. He recognized the voice; it was Itachi's brother Sasuke. He didn't know much about the kid. Most children of the noble clans tended to display the typical arrogance and unjustified sense of entitlement expected of them fairly earlier in life, so he can't say that he was interested in meeting the boy. However, the boy's screaming was enough to get Naruto leaping towards the compound, caution be damned. He wanted to find out what the hell was going on. There was nothing he hated more than unknowns.

* * *

Itachi was exhausted, more emotionally than physically. He had just finished dealing with his brother Sasuke and felt drained by the act, in fact the entire nights events were weighing on him heavily. _What a mess_, he thought, _I_ _actually did it, __I__ just killed my own family and tortured my little_ brother._ There was no going back now_.(**1) **Not that he had much choice in the matter, the greater good governed his actions here tonight. Sometimes you had to remove an infected limb no matter how painful the amputation might be.

Despite his exhaustion Itachi still had the presence of mind to sense that he was being watched. Whoever it was, was hiding their presence well, he could barley sense them. Judging by their ability to conceal their presence it was probably a jonin, which was problematic to say the least. Tonight's events had been planned carefully and he couldn't have anyone alerting ANBU before he was ready to leave the scene.

He looked around with his newly acquired Mangekyō sharingan. Examining his surroundings his new eyes were able to spot a figure on a nearby roof clinging to the shadows. He could only just see the figure, considering how sharp his eye sight was while the mangekyō sharingan activated meant that the figure was exceptionally well concealed.

"Got you," he said. He immediately performed a shunshin and appeared on the roof right next to the figure.

He was surprised when the figure didn't jump back in shock or move to attack him. In fact the figure didn't move at all except for a slight tilt of the head in his direction as if to acknowledge his presence. This was disconcerting, the figure was either very competent or had extraordinary calm nerves, likely both.

With a sigh the figure spoke "Well, it looks like you've spotted me Itachi-san."

Itachi eyes narrowed slightly, both at the mention of his name and the voice. He recognised the voice, but it didn't match with the figure standing in front of him. This figure had long blonde hair tied in a ponytail, black shinobi clothes with distinctive sleeves and had had katana strapped to his waste. Yet the voice was of his former charge, a short, orange wearing loudmouth. Although he hadn't seen Naruto in a while he was positive that this wasn't him.

"Who are you?" he demanded. He loosened his limbs ready to attack; he wanted this issue resolved as soon as possible.

"Hmm… you don't recognise me Itachi-san? That hurts my feelings," said the figure.

"Naruto?" Itachi asked. C_ould it really be him?_

"One and the same. It's been a few years Weasel-san," said Naruto as he turned to face Itachi.

The only indication Itachi was surprised was the slight widening of his eyes, which to those who knew him meant that he was in fact very surprised. The reason for his surprise was that the eyes staring him in the face were cold, and calculating eyes, eerily similar to the ones he now wore when his sharingan was not activated – ruthless eyes. He could see them assessing him and truthfully speaking it was a little unnerving, was this how people felt when he looked at them?

Itachi was having difficulty reconciling this figure with the Naruto he knew. _Where was the loud, obnoxious kid? Where was the orange? This Naruto has been mentally conditioned. Did Danzo get his hands on him? No, the Hokage would never allow that and this banter is something no ROOT agent would do. Whoever taught him… they're good, to be able to get Naruto to this level so quickly, most jonin can't hide their presence this well. He might even be as good or better than I was at the same age_.

_Though that shouldn't be surprising,_ he thought, _considering who his parents were_. The connection between Naruto and two of the village's most famous personalities was patently obvious. He had Kushina's face and the Yondaime's eyes and hair. How anyone couldn't recognise the connection was beyond him, but people are stupid like that. His owns clan's treatment of him demonstrated that rationality rarely dominated group mentalities. They often ignore what's right in front of them instead choosing to follow irrational emotions. All most people tended to see when they looked at Naruto was the Kyuubi despite all the evidence to the contrary, Naruto was just a little boy...or at least he used to be.

Naruto's presence here was problematic though, Itachi didn't want to kill the boy. For starters he had no idea what effect killing the vessel would have on the Kyuubi. For all he knew killing Naruto would free the demon right in the middle of the village, and that would be an unmitigated disaster. He never understood why some of the villagers would risk attacking the boy like they did.

No, he had to incapacitate Naruto, but he couldn't leave Naruto here either, that would raise questions and ANBU would be forced to interrogate him. Worse he could end up in Danzo clutches, just like Sasuke could have. Itachi wouldn't want anybody to end up in that monster's hands. He couldn't take the boy with him though, his next assignment was too important and he'd have enough heat on him without stealing a jinchūriki. No, he'd have to use a genjutsu, incapacitate him then drop him off somewhere in the village before he left. Resolved, he acted.

"I'm sorry Naruto but I cannot let you leave here**."**

With that he activated his sharingan intending to knock Naruto out under a basic genjutsu. However, as soon as the pinwheel started spinning Itachi felt a sharp pain shoot into his eyes bringing him to his knees. He clutched his right eye in pain, it felt like someone had just shoved a fork in it. Despite the pain he had the presence of mind to notice that his genjutsu had failed. _What just happened? _Itachi asked himself.

Itachi was so uncharacteristically surprised he failed to notice the smirk that appeared on Naruto's face.

He didn't have the chance to think any further because Naruto had drawn his katana and slashed at his head in an astonishing display of Iaido. (**2)**

_Fast. _

But Itachi was not considered a genius for nothing, he recovered from the shock extraordinary quickly, but still only barley dodged the attack. He felt the wind brush his throat as he skipped back out of range of the blade. _Most jonin would have been killed by that draw. Hayate doesn't know Iaido so where did he learn it?_ He was brought out of his thoughts by a few follow up attacks. Naruto swiped at him forcing him to dodge, he heard the blade slice through the air as it narrowly missed him. Naruto followed up with an another vertical slash which Itachi dodged comfortably by moving forward and to the left of the attack.

Naruto was fast for his age, but this was only high genin speed, chunin at most. Itachi could dodge that in his sleep. He had observed enough, it was time to make his move. He closed the distance between them moving directly in front of Naruto ready to respond with an attack of his own when he caught sight of Naruto bleeding profusely in front of him. _What? Genjutsu? No, I'd have sensed that. That must be real blood. But I haven't attacked him yet._

"Naruto, what…"

Before he could continue the blood, much to his surprise, _leapt _out at him and hit him straight in the eyes.

"Aaah," he cried out in pain.

_This was not good_. He couldn't believe it, Naruto had surprised him not once but twice. The blood was completely blocking his sight; he couldn't see a thing. Only his intuition and sharp hearing saved him from a multi direction attack from behind. He managed to dive out of the way just as the ground erupted in slashes from several directions.

_Fūton? No, he didn't sense any chakra being used._ _How did Naruto do that?_

Itachi could barely see Naruto standing a few feet to his right. He didn't want to use any ninjutsu on the boy and risk killing him, so that left taijutsu.

"Shit," he cursed uncharacteristically. He was barely standing after killing the entire clan, his sharingan wasn't working, and his vision was now impaired by Naruto's blood. He was in no condition for a taijutsu fight. He'd have to end this quickly.

He rushed at Naruto with speed well beyond most jonin. He launched a fist at Naruto's face that Naruto dodged. He was not surprised this time, given everything else he'd seen tonight it was reasonable to assume Naruto's taijutsu and reactions speeds were top notch too. He followed that up with a sweep kick intending to take Naruto legs out from under him, however Naruto cartwheeled over his takedown and responded with a kick to his chest forcing him to step back.

Naruto quickly skipped back a few paces putting distance between them. Itachi intended to follow him but he noticed Naruto cock his wrists and then wave his hands out in front of himself.

_What is he — _Itachi's thoughts were cut off as he dived to his left barely dodging the attack as the area once again erupted in an array of slashes. _How is he doing that? _Had the blood not impaired his eyesight he likely would have spotted the 'wire' being used. As it was he could feel something slicing through air around him but couldn't see it in the dark and through the blood.

He tried to move forward but was attacked again this time from the left. As he dodged he felt something cut deep into his left triceps and looked down. A razor thin wire had almost penetrated to the bone. With a grimace he stepped to the right leaving the wire behind.

With his left arm limp at his side Itachi considered his options, this fight was quickly getting out of hand. He needed to leave before ANBU got here and it was starting to look like Naruto could fend him off long enough for that to happen unless he started to get serious.

Any further thought was put on hold as Itachi's body was suddenly wrapped up in those wires, he managed use a **Kawarimi** just in time before his body was dissected leaving pieces of log to scatter over the ground.

Enough of this, he couldn't risk dying here, there was still so much he had to do. As much as he would like to investigate Naruto's skills further, he would have to withdraw.

He looked over to Naruto who was now standing on the building opposite him. Enough of the blood had drained from his eye for him to notice that Naruto had wire tensed between his hands and arms. _Amazing technique that, _he thought. He'd definitely have to have another go at getting past those wires, but it would have to wait, it was time to go.

"Well done Naruto. Consider this your victory. It was… most instructive. Be warned though, I will balance the scales the next time we meet," said Itachi as he disappeared in a flock of crows.

* * *

Naruto let out a sigh of relief as Itachi left the scene.

"Next time we meet?" Naruto wondered what Itachi meant, he seemed awfully sure of that.

That had been too close. Fortunately for him Itachi had chosen to attack him with his sharingan rather than immediately overpower him physically. _Caught_ a _lucky break there, _thought Naruto. Reflecting on his encounter he definitely needed more training. He was pushed to the full extent of his skills and Itachi wasn't even serious. On the plus side he got to test out his ebon ropes and they were as good as he thought they would be, but he still needed a lot more work before he could move around and use them simultaneously.

"Sensei is going to kill me."

That is if he ever got around to telling her what he got up to tonight. He wasn't sure he wanted to risk the tongue lashing that was sure to follow.

* * *

Itachi landed in a nearby clearing. He'd managed to extract himself from Konoha with no trouble. _Unless you count Naruto, _he thought. He was still trying to process what had just happened.

"Did I really just lose to an eleven year old boy?" Itachi asked himself.

He was replaying the entire incident over in his mind. Naruto had performed complex attack after complex attack. Where did he learn the sword? Kenjutsu wasn't part of the academy's curriculum and Iaido certainly wasn't, that's a samurai technique. Where did he learn how to control blood? No one knew anything like that in Konoha. He had just finished getting the last of that blood out of his eyes, that had been …unpleasant to say the least. Where did he learn that razor wire technique? He'd never seen someone use wires like that before.

A bunch of questions, all he had was questions. It was obvious Naruto was being taught by someone extremely competent. Who though? No one had that skill set in Konoha so he must be receiving training from a foreign shinobi.

His questions would have to wait though; he needed to get on with his next assignment. Fortunately he was a patient man and was wiling to wait till he met Naruto again, in fact he was looking forward to it.

"Now, where did Madara get to?"

With that Itachi left Konoha to start his career as an S class criminal.

* * *

_**Foot Notes**__:_

_**1) I'm pretty sure the timing's right – about 5 years prior to graduation.**_

_**2) Naruto and Akeginu refer to this technique as Battojutsu (which is what it was called at that **__**time**__** in Japan. The term Iaido didn't come into practice until the 1900's). However, in Naruto's world everyone else knows this technique as Iaido eg. Mifune. So when I write from Naruto or Akeginu's perspective it will be referred to as Battojutsu but all Naruto world characters will call it Iaido.**_

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_**So, I wrote the fight from Itachi's perspective to demonstrate the confusion most of Naruto's opponents will encounter when fighting him- 'Why the hell won't my jutsu work' will be the general line of thought. However, most fights will be from Naruto's perspective or a more omniscient narrator.**_

_**This fight was more probing than fighting. Obviously Itachi didn't go all out, he only used a basic sharingan genjutsu and some taijutsu. If he had he would have likely won based on pure physical difference alone. Keep in mind he had no intention of killing Naruto, nor was he aware of Naruto abilities (those are huge advantages for Naruto). Naruto is very good for his age but he's certainly not S class.**_

_**I also gave Itachi some food for thought; he's an interesting figure who was largely a victim of circumstance in canon and he was kind of wasted on the whole Sasuke revenge plot line. Since Sasuke's not the main character of this fic it frees me up to use Itachi for my own purposes later on. Needless to say it'll be interesting next time they meet. Also note that Itachi left the Uchihia Massacre anticipating a future conflict with Naruto not Sasuke.**_

_**I'm interested in how people want me to handle the fox. Naruto doesn't really need the chakra so I don't want he going through all the tailed forms like in canon. I'm thinking of giving Naruto Tenzen like healing (probably more powerful since the Kyuubi is stronger than Tenzen's demon). For those who haven't read Basilisk Tenzen could heal from pretty much anything, fatal or otherwise. Even had his head almost cut off and the demon would have stuck it back on had Oboro not interfered. Demon was essentially a symbiotic parasite, similar to something like venom.**_

_**There's also the nature of their relationship to consider. Should he convince the fox to co-operate, subjugate it or just ignore it completely and never use it ever. Antagonistic or co-operative?**_


	5. Chapter 5 - Resolve to Kill

_**Chapter 5 – Resolve to Kill**_

_**Hey People! Tibo Here,**_

_**Wow, last chapter had a great reception. Hopefully this chapter will continue the trend.**_

_**In this chapter we're introduced to another **__**one**__** of the **__**techniques**__** that will feature frequently in the story and we're made aware of some of Naruto's other training he's had over the years — the mental side of things.**_

_**Tenzen features here though not in person. He's a major influence on Naruto's he approache shinobi work (tactically speaking).**_

_**In response to some questions:**_

**_- _**_**ShINaiX**__**: **__I decided to go with Yugao, __I__ like Hayate as well but he's too sick to be in the field. My Kyuubi will be very smart (as you'd expect from an ancient entity. It will have a bit of pride but not a lot. It'll be co-operative relationship but the fox will want to test Naruto first - to see if he's worthy type thing. It's the main topic of the next chapter._

**[Standard disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Basilisk.]**

* * *

_**3 years later (Naruto age 14)**_

_Resolve. Resolve in every action you take is the way of the ninja. Act without it and your sword will be blunt, your strikes will be shallow, and your decisions will be indecisive. Without resolve you leave yourself, your allies and anyone under your protection vulnerable. Without the resolve to kill you have no place amongst the ranks of the shinobi._

- Tenzen Yakushiji_, Iga War and Tactics, Voume 1_

Naruto stopped reading the passage and considered it. He understood the passage. It was about commitment. Commitment not just to the act of taking a life, but to the lifestyle of a ninja. You either devote yourself to that way of life, to that manner of thinking or you quit. The world of the ninja is an unforgiving place, it does not tolerate weakness in any form. To continue as a shinobi without resolve would not only endanger your teammates, but likely result in your own death as well.

It was harsh, but then so was life. Ninjas didn't have the luxury of believing otherwise. A sword is a weapon. Kenjutsu is the art of using that weapon to kill. If you choose to draw your sword you better have the resolve to use it**. **To survive as a ninja you need to be committed. To believe that a ninja is some sort of hero is the naïve thinking of someone who has no idea of the realities of war. No one walks away from war with clean hands, especially not a ninja. To be a ninja you must understand that a ninja is a disposable weapon, a very specific weapon designed for precision and deniability.

"To be used and thrown away," said Naruto, thinking to himself. He had no intention of letting Konoha do that to him, but he understood that deniable operations were the fundamental concept behind the ninja, at least when Tenzen wrote this text they were. He wasn't sure about current ninja. _They do wear a symbol on their foreheads telling everyone where they're from. Kind of defeats the purpose of being ninja doesn't it? And whats with those giant heads on top of the village?_

He sighed; they'd probably make him wear that leaf symbol as well when he graduated. _I wonder if there's an actual rule saying you have to wear the thing or maybe it's just a convention, _he thought.

He hoped that it was more of a tradition rather than an actual rule. _That reminds me I'll have to get my hands on a copy of the Konoha ninja regulations._

Over the last eight years Akeginu had made him read extensively through most of Iga's writings on tactics, strategy and philosophy. She didn't want him having any naïve ideas about what it is to be a shinobi, and he didn't. He had lived a harsh life already.

Orphaned at birth, living on the streets at four, years of poking through garbage for food, and having his life at risk on more than a few occasions as a six year old living on his own. No, he had no illusions as to the harsh reality of life; a single decision made by a man he had never met changed his life before it had even really begun. That was the reality of his life, at least up until he met his sensei. Her training had prepared him to deal with such realities and then some.

The training of his mind had been a staple of his education ever since he started training with Akeginu all those years ago. According to her a ninja's mind was as much a weapon as the fist or sword. More often than not the difference in a fight was whatever tactics were used or improvised. With strategy and tactics weaknesses could be minimised, strengths maximised, and the weak could overcome the strong. Strength plus good tactics made you extremely difficult to defeat.

Similarly a weak mind could be the difference between success and failure. No matter how strong you are if you are too stupid to properly direct that strength then you are useless as a ninja. A poorly considered strategy could prove fatal for even the strongest of nin.

So, from age six Akeginu had taught him to read properly before providing him with numerous texts on military strategy, tactics, philosophy and politics. She wanted him to have a strong mind, and to be able to maneuver between all battlefields including the political arena and the battles in his own head.

As he got older he would sneak into the library and 'borrow' books on geography, history and civil governance. Akeginu always told him that information was often the key to victory. He needed to understand his world, so geography was important. He needed to understand his enemies, so history was important – people rarely change, so reading of past's wars and feuds could be quite informative about the actions of the current villages and clans. Similarly, understanding the structure of the villages and world's government was important, as the political arena often had a huge impact on the rest of the world. Back room politics could kill a ninja as easily as any kunai.

At the moment medical texts had his attention. He didn't need them to heal himself because of the fox but the knowledge was useful nonetheless. Medical knowledge could tell you exactly where to strike an opponent, and how to bring down an enemy with minimal effort. He supposed such knowledge would come in handy if he ever had an injured ally as well. He didn't plan on being a medical nin though.

With his discovery of shadow clones his reading had increased tenfold. As he could get through books three to four times quicker. It was a double edged sword though, read too much too quickly and you only develop a shallow understanding on what you read. So he made sure not to use too many clones and have them go slowly through the library.

Speaking of clones, right now he was working on a useful application of the shadow clone technique. He learnt that any good strategy is largely dependent on information; you can really make one unless you know what you're fighting against, and the more accurate the information the better. That had been one of the huge benefits he discovered from the clones; their utility as disposable scouts and spies.

He'd practiced using a group of clones as a spy network. Creating a small group and then after making each look a bit different he sent them out into the village to gather information everyday and dispel at night, then repeat the process the next day. It was proving useful, he'd discovered that the entire village thought he was a moron and that most still hated him. He also found out that the entire village seemed to worship the Uchiha boy for some reason, obviously none of them read history books or they might not have been that receptive of the 'last _loyal_ Uchiha'. History shows that the clan never had any real love for Konoha and vice versa.

Presently, he had just sent one clone off dressed as a civilian to some place called Wave. He didn't know much about the country and it was a good opportunity to determine if his clones were capable of long term spy missions. The clone was to stay in the village an entire week and gather as much information as possible. He had dispelled most of his other clones for the week since he knew the feedback from a clone operating that long would give him a major headache.

Looking down at his book in contemplation, he thought about its author. It was written by this Tenzen character, whose name kept popping up in this training and these scrolls. In fact over half of the scrolls in the vault were written by him. One day, curious about the author he had asked Akeginu who had been happy to tell him all about Tenzen. It seems she greatly respected the man. In turned out that this Tenzen character was remarkably similar to himself. They both had a demon inside them since birth, and he had also grown up in a village that hated them.

Akeginu had told him how Tenzen's mother was an Iga nin who had fallen in love with a Kouga nin. How his mother had been murdered by Kouga ninja while giving birth to him and he had grown up in Kouga Manjidani with the stigma of having a mother from the much maligned Iga clan. **(1) **Tenzen had stayed in the village for some time learning Kouga kenjutsu, a style Akeginu had grudgingly said was superior to Iga. **(2) **But when he was old enough and strong enough he betrayed Kouga and went to Iga, his mother's clan where he would stay and become one of the most influential figures in the entire clan.

What interested Naruto the most was that Tenzen also had a demon inside of him. Tenzen's demonic regeneration was so great that it stopped him from aging, he was centuries old when he died. Over the centuries Tenzen had mastered and progressed his sword style to a ridiculous degree. He had also become an expert strategist. He would have been successful against Kouga had he not underestimated Oboro's feelings. Emotions and strategy don't mix, they tend to be predictable .

_Lesson learnt_.

Naruto frowned thinking about Tenzen and his demon. Tenzen had been in complete symbiosis with his demon, they both co-operated to achieve the highest degree of benefit from their co-existence. Sadly Naruto could not say the same about himself and the kitsune. His attempts to try and commune with the fox had so far proved unsuccessful. He'd taken to meditating in an attempt to reach a state of mind where communication was possible but as of yet he had no results. Akeginu speculated that inflicting a horrific injury upon his person would also get him into his mindscape but he wasn't that desperate to talk to the fox. It was frustrating but not unexpected, he didn't know what Tenzen's demon was but he suspected that the Kitsune was a lot stronger. Mastering that power would be pivotal in the future.

_Maybe I should try meditating again, _he considered.

* * *

Akeginu found her student reading again, _I swear that __is__ all he ever does anymore, read, read , read. He's probably forgotten how to swing that sword of his _Akeginu complained to herself.

She had been considering her students amazing progress over the last three years and was thinking about introducing some new material. Naruto had progressed astonishingly well in both the ebon ropes and the blood projection techniques to the point where he could perform both techniques solidly in combat. He still had a long way to go, particularly with the ropes, but his level was amazing for his age.

He could now control the ropes with his all fingers and was starting to learn how to control them with his feet. The next step would he adding his own high speed and acrobatic movements to the technique and then combining it all. He could also project an impressive blood mist for his age, and was equally adept at controlling the blood. As a bonus having the fox in him allowed him to maintain the mist for much longer than would normally be possible; most would pass out if the blood mist was maintained too long, it's your own blood after all, a finite resource. However the fox's chakra kept replenishing his blood supply so he could maintain the mist for a very long time if required.

He could also make his mist much denser than normal, anyone caught in the mist wouldn't be able to see more than two feet in front of them. She wouldn't be surprised if eventually he could cover an entire battlefield in the mist. An army commander would love the technique; he could completely cover an army with it. He'd also learnt how to do blood clones by adjusting his shadow clone technique though he rarely used them.

Yes, he was moving along nicely so it was time to mix it up a bit, he needed something new to learn and she had just the thing; **Kamaitachi**, Iga's strongest offensive jutsu. A wind technique, it allowed the user to create a vacuum in the atmosphere which resulted in the surrounding air being drawn towards the absence in the air. The results were devastating; it could literally rip a person in two with the forces at work. **(5)**

In her time Koshirou had required a kama to use the technique properly but Naruto with his chakra supply and wind affinity, something which they had discovered about a year ago. He would have no trouble creating the vacuums without a kama. She was also confident that like her mist he would be able to create a more powerful version of the technique, and with his affinity and excellent control of his chakra she hoped that he might be able to create multiple vacuums at once. She almost squealed thinking about how powerful he'd be with it. The technique was pretty much unblock-able since it literally drew energy in towards the vortex. It didn't matter whether it was a person or another justsu, all would be sucked into the void.

Her happy thoughts dampened a little, there was also another issue she needed to broach. It was about time for Naruto to be blooded. Iga nin didn't wait for their students to be in the field before learning what it was like to kill, that's a recipe for disaster, the last thing you need is to complete an assassination only to start vomiting everywhere. No, Iga genin had already killed as part of their education, often as part of a graduation ritual, it was used to weed out the ones who didn't have the resolve for that line of work.

She remembered her first time. She was fifteen and she had been told to leave the village and not come back until she had killed someone. She was monitored of course. She had left for the nearest brothel she could find, seduced some brute of a man and took him up to a room. She had gotten the man so drunk it had been easy to slide a tanto in between his ribs and into his heart, quick and painless. She'd passed with flying colours, a perfect kunoichi assassination. Of course she had vomited all over the place afterwards, but it had been a good kill. It was time for Naruto to start thinking about his first kill. She wouldn't force him to do it right away but she should at least raise the issue.

"Naruto," called Akeginu, turning the boy's attention away from his book.

"Good morning, sensei," greeted Naruto.

"Come over here and sit down, I want to talk about something."

Naruto walked over, "What is it sensei?" He asked.

"It's time for you to learn another technique."

Naruto smiled at that, "What am I learning?"

"**Senpuu** **Kamaitachi**, It's a wind technique so I expect you to have an easier time of it then you had with the ropes and blood projection."

Naruto nodded at that. They had stolen some chakra paper last year and determined he had an extremely strong affinity for wind, and a lesser affinity for lightning. He would develop more in time, but for his age it was very impressive.

"I don't know how to perform the technique myself, but I have the scroll. Here take a look," said Akeginu, handing him the scroll.

Naruto had a quick read of the scroll.

"Interesting, it doesn't cut like most wind techniques, it rips," observed Naruto.

She smiled at her student, not surprised in the slightest that he'd immediately spotted the defining characterstic of the jutsu, "You're right, unlike most jutsus that craft blades of wind, this one uses the wind to create a vacuum. Its actually the effect the vacuum has on the atmosphere that does the damage. "

Naruto grinned. She could tell he was excited, he always was when she showed him something new.

"There's also something else I wanted to discuss so have a seat."

Naruto waited with interest. Noticing how serious she was all of a sudden.

She took a deep breath, "Naruto, I…I want you to kill someone."

Naruto eyes opened wide, he certainly had not expected her to say that.

"I don't mean go to the village and stab the first person you see. We're not common criminals, or samurai looking to test a new sword on some unfortunate soul. Do it like a shinobi. Observe the village, find someone who deserves to die and kill them. And believe me there's always someone who needs killing. You can take your time with it, be patient don't rush, wait for the perfect target then strike," explained Akeginu.

Naruto nodded his head. Some might have expected him to protest such an order but he knew that this was part of his training. After all he would receive assassination missions later, it made perfect sense to him. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a bit apprehensive, he'd never killed anyone before though he'd almost died himself a few times. As tempted as he was to go and kill one of his former tormentors he clamp down on that emotion, those were old wounds and he wouldn't let the past dictate his actions. He remember the text he had just been reading, resolve, did he have the resolve to kill someone? He knew he did, he wanted to be a shinobi, and if this was part of being a shinobi then he was prepared to do what needed to be done.

"Alright, I understand," Naruto said after considering the matter carefully.

"Good. Don't worry about right or wrong. Death is a part of life, you aren't doing this for personal reasons. You're doing this because I ordered you to, and that's something you need to get used to if you're going to be a ninja."

* * *

_**1 month later**_

Naruto crouched atop one the buildings in central Konoha observing the streets below him. It was almost midnight and the streets were empty except for a lone kunoichi who was wandering, or stumbling rather down the street barely putting one foot in front of the other. The kunoichi was oddly dressed in a red blouse wrapped in bandages. She had long, curly black hair and cherry red lipstick. She was very pretty, if he was being honest with himself, though she couldn't hold a candle to his sensei. Right now she appeared to be a bit intoxicated if her staggering was anything to go by.

He shifted his gaze to the group of men following her. There were four of them, three civilians and one jonin ninja. They were trying to follow the woman and not look suspicious about it. It wasn't working, they were clearly following the woman, in fact they barely took their eyes off her ass the whole time. He highly doubted their intentions were virtuous. _You'd think the jonin would at least take off the uniform before he attempted to rape someone, _thought a disgusted Naruto.

Yes, he would perform his first kill tonight. There was no way he was letting them assault this woman.

Only the slight shaking of his hands and feet suggested he was nervous, but he was not overly concerned. He was no stranger to violence. Growing up in a hostile environment forced him to mature far quicker than a regular child; he was prepared to do what needed to be done. He just hoped he could be decisive when it really mattered.

His only real concern was that the woman was a ninja, so she knew how to handle herself and may very well beat the crap out of the men; the civilians would be no match for her drunk or not. She was out numbered though, and one of the men was an experienced ninja. He suspected she'd need assistance.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he observed the men quicken their paces. He took a deep breath, it was time to act. With that thought he attached an ebon rope to the building he was crouched don and jumped off into the darkness below using the ropes to swing between buildings silently.

* * *

Kurenai was going to kill Anko tomorrow, _I can't believe I let Anko of all people buy me a drink..I know it was her birthday but.. wh..what was in it anyway? I can __barely__ walk straight_.

Walking home she noticed that the streets were completely empty, she was beginning to regret leaving Anko to walk home alone. _Just get home Kurenai, you're a ninja no one would even think of touching you_, she told herself.

"Alright a few more-"

Someone grabbed her from behind in a tight clinch. Kurenai immediately reacted and stamped down on the assailant's foot. He loosened his grip and she threw her elbow back into the man's face. She felt the assailant's nose break as in came into contact with her elbow. The man let go and she turned around.

In front of her were three civilians. She was furious, how dare they, who do they think they are.

"It's a crime to attack a shinobi! You three are in a lot of trouble.." she said heatedly to her attackers with barely contained fury. They would be begging for mercy when she was done with them.

She was about to put all three under one of the most horrible genjutsus she could think of when someone grabbed her hand from behind and put her in a hold. _Damn, I must be more drunk then I thought if I couldn't sense that, _she thought. Now she was really in trouble.

"We don't plan on spending any time in jail lady" said a voice from behind her. She couldn't see who it was but the man was strong she couldn't get out of his hold.

The man dragged her with some trouble into a dark alley. This was not going to end well for her.

"Bitch, stay still, this is happening. We do this the easy way or the hard way. Its your choice whether or not you live through it or not."

Kurenai's mind was racing, she was horrified; it was like her worst nightmares were all coming true, but she didn't know what to do, the strength of the men holding her suggested he was a ninja.

W_hat do I do? __You're__ a ninja Kurenai, think._

* * *

Naruto watched the men grab the woman and pull her into an alley. He was watching form above using chakra to stick to the shadows along the wall, none of them noticed him of course, not even the two ninja.

_That'll cost them, _he thought.

The jonin had just thrown the kunoichi to the ground hard and all of them were distracted. It seemed thing were about to start up.

"Time to act."

With that said he dropped down to the alley without making a sound, letting his knees and the balls of his feet absorb the fall. Moving forward he quietly snuck up behind the closest man, one of the civilians, the man hadn't noticed him, too distracted by the sight of the woman on the ground. With no time to waste he reached his left hand around the man's shoulder clamping his hand over the man's mouth so he wouldn't make a sound. He then forced the man backwards towards his own body while at the same time driving a kunai straight into his kidney. The man's body tensed as the weapon pierced his flesh and drove deep into his organ, he tried to scream but no sound escaped his mouth. It was a fatal attack, and quickly the man stopped twitching as he bled out.

Naruto lowered his first victim to the ground and repeated the process with the second man. Like the first he performed the kill without making a sound, it was one of the most basic silent killing methods, sneak up behind target and either cut the throat or stab the kidney. He'd practiced this maneuver enough times he didn't need to think, just let his body do the work. Just as he finished lowering the second body the third civilian turned around to see why his friends were so quiet and his eyes widened in horror at the sight of his friends bodies lying on the ground looking quite dead.

Moving quickly Naruto took two paces forward reaching the man within less than a second and drove his kunai through his the bottom of his chin. Unfortunately this action made some noise and the Jonin started to turn around to see what the fuss was about. Before the Jonin could finish turning around and spot him Naruto quickly let go of his latest victim, letting him fall to the ground and jumped onto the alley wall and into the shadows using his chakra to run quietly along the wall and deeper into the alley.

The jonin turned around and looked at the scene with shock. His three friends lay dead and he hadn't even noticed a thing.

Naruto watched the fool from the shadows, waiting, his only concern was the women; he was waiting to see if the man would try and use her as a hostage.

The man didn't, instead he yelled, "Come out you bastard, you'll pay for killing them!"

Naruto smiled, he very much doubted that.

_Good the man's an idiot._ _The woman was the only thing keeping him alive, _thought Naruto.

As soon as the man uttered his last syllable (literally) Naruto sprung from the wall using chakra in his legs to project him forward at a very high speed. As he moved through the air towards the jonin, he tensed his muscles in his abdomen and arms preparing to strike. Passing the jonin he drew his katana at lightning speed straight through the man's neck using Battojutsu before landing silently on the ground in a roll.

_Perfect_. The maneuver had taken less then a second. He heard the man's head drop to the ground behind him, and didn't even bother looking back. Instead he flicked the blood off the blade and sheathed it using the traditional Battojutsu method. His attention was now on the woman who was on the ground behind the man, she hadn't moved since he started killing.

_Now what do I do with you? _He wondered. There were options, and killing her wasn't one of them. He didn't go through all this trouble just to kill her because she was a witness. He wasn't concerned about her identifying him, he knew she couldn't. Not only was it dark but he didn't match anyone's description, certainly not his clones. Nor had he used any distinctive techniques besides Battojutsu. He knew using the ropes would have associated him with this murder permanently, which may well have bitten him in the ass years down the track when he became a shinobi. No, the best course of action was to just leave it be, it was time to go.

* * *

Kurenai couldn't believe what she just saw. She was about to be raped when suddenly the man, who was leering at her on her left, eyes went wide and he dropped, or rather was lowered slowly to the ground dead. Behind him was a man, no a boy who only looked to be in his early teens. _What the hell is going on? _The boy just killed the man like a professional would.

The boy proceeded to kill the second civilian by sneaking up and stabbing him in the back as well. _And he did it so quietly, _she marveled. He killed for a third time as the man with his pants around his ankles turned around and got a kunai through the chin.

_That was a bit..brutal, but effective._

What amazed Kurenai was that the jonin hadn't noticed any of the kills, they were silent, perfect assassinations. Just as that thought passed the jonin started to turn around, his eyes moving from her to the corpses behind him. He must have heard the third kill.

Kurenai was again surprised as the figure leaped onto the wall and literally disappeared into the shadows.

_Chakra control as well, it must be to be able to stick to the walls like that _she observed.

The jonin man was yelling something out by then but she wasn't paying attention, instead trying to find the boy who was in the middle of saving her. As if on cue the boy leaped from the shadows, katana in hand and cut the man's head off in a single swipe before landing in a silent roll.

_Amazing, I didn't even see him draw that katana, how skilled is he?_

Kurenai got a good look at him now. He was wearing a black shinobi clothes and had oddly long sleeves, almost too long as they covered his hands when his arms were hanging down. He had blond hair tied back loosely in a ponytail and appeared to have some fingerless gloves on. She couldn't see his face as his back was turned to her. She noiced that his katana had only a wooden handle with no guard, quite different from most she had seen before. _Not that she had seen many_ she reflected, the weapon was not common in Konoha. Yugao and Hayate were just about the only users.

_Is he from Mist then? _Kurenai wondered.

The boy turned towards her but she couldn't get a good look at his face since it was covered by the shadows. She did however notice his eyes, or eye rather as she could only seethe one. It was a striking shade of ice blue, incredibly distinctive and not something she would soon forget. It felt like that eye was piercing her soul as he observed her.

"Are you alright?"

The boy was asking her a question. She just nodded her head, not sure yet if she could properly form words at the moment.

The boy turned to leave.

"Wait!" She yelled.

"Who are you? What's your name?" Kurenai asked in a flurry, she had never seen this boy before and definitely wanted to thank him properly.

"I have no intention of telling you my name, not especially after killing four people in front of you, one of which was a shinobi" replied the boy in a cold yet oddly melodic voice.

"They were criminals it is unlikely you would get in trouble over saving my life, I'm a ninja too" she persisted; she really wanted to know the boy's name.

The boy paused as if considering her request.

"Sorry, but I'd prefer not to attract that much attention," the boy replied.

"Can you at least tell me your name, I won't tell anyone."

"I think I'll keep it to myself for the time being. Don't worry I'm a local so I'm sure we'll meet again sometime. Until then pretty lady," said the boy with a smile.

Kurenai blushed a little at the boys comment, but as soon as he made it he shunshined away in a cloud of red mist.

"Wait I'm... dammit he's gone".

_So, he's a local huh, I've never seen any kid like that before. I'll have to check out the academy if they've got someone that skilled in academy you'd think I'd have heard of it by now._

With that she decided to wait around for ANBU to turn up so she could make her report.

"It's going to be a long night."

* * *

Akeginu sat in the courtyard of the ruins, waiting. She was nervous, you could tell from the frequent shaking of her knees. Feeling nervous was a frequent occurrence these last few weeks. She hated it.

Naruto was out again. Over the last month he'd taken to staying out late at night looking to complete the task she set for him over a month ago. Now it was in the early hours of the morning and he was still not back. Yep she hated it; the feeling of powerlessness was repugnant to her.

_I could have gone with him _she thought, but that was just as bad if not worse_. _She wouldn't be able to do anything if something did happen; being a passive observer when someone you cared about was fighting was not something she wanted to experience. So instead she chose to sit here and suffer in ignorance, waiting for the most important person in her world to her to comeback from stalking prey in the village.

She didn't know what she would do if something happened to him. After being alone for so long she didn't know if she could go back to it again. More importantly Naruto gave her purpose. She had drifted for thousands of years without purpose, without having any contact with another being, just waiting. Waiting for Naruto it would seem since he'd been the only one to able to see and communicate with her in all that time.

These last 8 years had been amongst the best of her life. She had taken him under her wing and he was her responsibility. Teaching again, bringing back the Iga techniques, it brought back so many memories, and watching Naruto grow and master them was an amazing experience.

She knew that Naruto would leave the ruins and her one day, he couldn't stay here forever, and she wouldn't allow it. To grow he had to go out into the world and apply his techniques. She briefly wondered if she would go with him when he left or stay here. She'd just be a ghost following him around, she knew Naruto would pay attention to her; he always did when she was around, but she didn't want to get in his way or stop him from developing any…relationships. He still needed to carry on the bloodline after all, _for the good of the Iga clan _she thought bitterly.

She cleared her mind with a shake of her head, enough of those thoughts, her mind needed to be in the present. Just as she was finishing chastising herself Naruto appeared in a cloud of red mist.

_I wish I had that technique when I was alive, _observed Akeginu in silence, a little jealous of some of the things you could do with chakra, _and they don't even use if properly _she thought, it was such a waste.

Naruto looked at her inquisitively before asking, "What's wrong with you?"

She huffed at that, he shows up at 2:00am and had the nerve to ask that. Getting up she exclaimed, "What's wrong with me? Where have you been? I was about to get up and go find you if you took any longer."

Naruto put his arms up in a placating gesture "Wow, calm down, it just took a bit longer because I…finished my task tonight."

Akeginu froze at that, he'd done it, "You mean... you killed someone tonight?"

"More than one." Naruto replied.

'_More than one'? _She didn't like the sound of that.

"_More than one?_ How many did you kill?" Akeginu asked, hoping her student didn't go on a killings spree.

"Four. A group of men were trying to rape a woman. I stopped them."

"Oh... alright then that's fine. Tell me everything." said Akeginu.

Naruto explained how he had observed the men, then when they were distracted how he killed them all.

"Good work, you killed all of them without them seeing you." praised Akeginu. She was proud that he managed to pull off killing four people in close vicinity without letting them notice until their death was at hand. It was not easy unless you killed them all in one hit.

"But why didn't you use your ropes or the mist? It would have been easier." Akeginu asked. She knew the answer but wanted him to confirm it.

"I could have just cut them to pieces with the ropes but as far as I know I'm the only one who uses them so I'd be basically admitting to the murder whenever I used the ropes in public. Same with the blood mist." explained Naruto.

"Good Naruto, you thought about the consequences of your actions."

She was very happy, her student had just performed exceptionally well.

"Are you alright? Killing someone is never easy." She knew that better than most.

"I'm fine. I was a little nervous before but afterwards I didn't really feel anything, it needed to be done. I certainly wasn't going to let them get away with what they were doing, who knows how many women they've raped."

Akeginu frowned a little at that, most people had more volatile reactions to a first kill. She supposed it was because of his childhood, he was far more mature than anyone else his age. She knew that better than anyone else, hell, he had the mentality of an adult at eight. She concluded that it shouldn't be that surprising that he would have a pragmatic approach to killing, most experienced shinobi did, and he just developed that mentality faster. _Like he does most ninja skills _she thought. It could be a lot worse, he could have enjoyed it.

He seemed protective of the women, she approved, there weren't many thing worse you could do to a woman. No doubt he saw a little bit of himself in the woman. He had been the victim of abuse from the village, not sexual as far as she knew, kami she hoped not, but she knew he would have identified with the woman or anyone in that position. _How many times had he been chased down a dark alley by a group and been abused?_

She was proud that he didn't go into a rage and butcher all of them after seeing what they were going to do. Yep her student had once again done exceedingly well. _Should I have expected any differently? __It__ was silly of me to worry _Akeginu chided herself.

Now that he was done with his task it was time for his reward. She had been saving these jutsu in case he was upset after this first kill but now she could give them to him as a reward for a job well done.

"Naruto come here I've got something to show you."

"What?" Naruto asked.

"I've been reading up on some advanced chakra usage and weapons, apparently you can channel chakra into your weapons to make them more powerful." said Akeginu.

Naruto was intrigued, "So I could channel wind chakra into my sword?"

"Ah ha, it says in the book that channeling water into a sword used to be common in Kirigakure, so I imagine channeling wind should make your blade sharper, possibly a bit longer too."

"Hmm, we could do the same with the ebon ropes as well," noted Naruto who was starting to envisage the different possibilities, he would be able to infuse lightning into his weapons as well. It would make his already dangerous weapons skills even more lethal.

"I'll start trying it tomorrow," said Naruto, keen to start working on it.

"Good, how's you fuinjutsu coming along?" Akeginu asked. She wasn't familiar with seals, they had been the domain of priests in her time.

"It's slow work, they don't teach it at the academy and the library has few books on the subject which is surprising since the Yondaime Hokage was supposed to be an expert at them. I've managed to work out how to seal objects inside a seal. I can carry around spare weapons and clothes now but that's about it."

"Handy" observed Akeginu, she again wished she had something like that back when she was alive.

"Yeah, but nothing compared to the seal on my stomach. From the little I could make out, it's insanely complex."

"Oh well, keep at it. I'm sure the Hokage will have some material on seals. Once you finish up with that farcical performance your clone is putting on at the academy you can ask him."

Naruto grinned at that. The Hokage would indeed be surprised, hopefully not so surprised that he had him arrested, not that anyone would be able to arrest him by that stage. Oh well he'd just have to take precautions.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about tonight?" Akeginu asked. She was still a little worried. She wouldn't force the issue but she thought he should at least talk to her about it.

"I'm okay sensei, really. "

"Alright then, be up at sun rise and we can get started on infusing your sword with chakra."

Naruto groaned at that, it was fine for her; she was a spirit and didn't sleep, but he'd have to go through training with only a few hours of sleep.

* * *

_**Foot Notes**_

_**(1) I used the anime background for Tenzen as the manga was **__**scarce**__** on the details regarding his background. His mother **__**is**__** the demon in **__**this**__** fic as well.**_

_**(2) Just based this off the of fact that there were more swordsman amongst the Kouga nin, and the fact that Tenzen was originally from Kouga as well.**_

_**(3) Kamaitachi was also a weasel yokai in Japanese culture. For those who haven't read Basilisk or seen the anime the technique pretty much uses the caster's breath to create a vacuum or small singularity .**_

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**So that was a little Batman-esque at the end there (well except for the head chopping off stuff). This incident will form the basis for Kurenai and Naruto's relationship, romantic or otherwise. I like Kurenai as she's one of the more serious kunoichi in the manga but I've had people suggest I drop her as a romance option and at this stage I'm inclined to agree. I just don't have the space in the story to develop two Konoha romance options at this stage (this isn't a Naruto walks in the room and women drop their pants fic, there will have to be a basis for the interest and development for anything to happen). I'm giving priority to Anko since she will be more important to the story (Orochimaru stuff later on). There will be interaction between Kurenai and Naruto though especially given the events of this chapter, she'll be a sympathetic figure for Naruto and I may have her teach him about genjutsu since Akeginu doesn't know much about it. Though with the basis of their relationship set up ****I**** can change it to a romantic one in future if ****I**** change my mind.**

**Tenzen and Saemon were my two favourite characters from Basilisk. So expect some references and comparisons with Tenzen. Saemon will feature later on in some fashion.**

**So we have introduced Naruto's main offensive jutsu. That just about finishes his basic Iga training, there will be a summary of it in the next chapter. There are other Iga techniques he still hasn't learned namely Nenki hair manipulation (like ****Jiraiya's****) , Jamayo's dissolving technique, and Rousai's limb extending one. He'll learn the hair one, but I'm not sure about the other two, the dissolving one seems to make you look gross (like blue leprosy for those who haven't read it) and Rousai limb extension seems redundant since Naruto has the wires for reach. I'm thinking of Naruto getting his hands on Gyoubi's matter melding technique which is better than the dissolving one for spying and assassination.**

**Naruto will be getting Hotaru Bi's insect summons around Chunin arc time (which is when she'll make an appearance), he'll also learn the spirit link at that time so I need ideas for an animal for him to have a link with. For those who haven't read Basilisk two of the characters, Hoatru Bi and Ogen, have links to animals, a viper and hawk respectively. It allows them to use the animals as an extension of their own will. I'm thinking either a bird, like a falcon (for scouting and such) or some sort of predator (maybe a cat that can stalk people for him). It could also be something venomous like a spider or scorpion.**

**Tune in next chapter for the last chapter before graduation (canon start) and the fox's formal introduction.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Dialogue with a Fox

**Chapter 6 – Dialogue with a Fox**

_**Hey people, Tibo here.**_

_**Sorry this took a little longer, it took me a while to figure out how to write the Kyuubi plus this chapter is quite long.**_

_**Anyway, last chapter before graduation! No training here, in this chapter we have a test from Akeginu and a recount of Naruto's first contact with the Kyuubi. **_

_**So, my Kyuubi will be significantly different from canon. I didn't like the portrayal of the fox in the manga. Mine will be an ancient, intelligent entity more along the lines of a traditional kitsune rather than the one in the manga (expect an intelligent/deceptive/manipulative Yokai ) . It'll have regeneration, shape shifting and illusion abilities, naruto won't be spamming huge offensive power ups.**_

_**On a side note I just got the Kouga Ninja Scrolls by Futaro Yamada. It's the book the manga and anime were based off. I've had a read and it's pretty good, much more detailed than the manga, which is to be expected. . For those who are interested its translated and published by Del Ray, I got it off Amazon.**_

_**Also had a lot of love for Kisaragi Saemon in the reviews and PMs, rest assured as my favourite character in Basilisk he will feature.**_

_**In response to some questions from last chapter:**_

_**Coldblue: Naruto lacks the inherent hate that most Iga nin had for Kouga. To him the Kouga are extinct ninja clan nothing more really. **_

_** Kagerou and Saemon did kill Akeginu so there's going to be a lot of tension there. **_

_** I'm not sure if he will find about Tenzen real nature. If he does it'll be Kagerou that tells him.**_

_**ShINaiX: I love the owl idea, they can see well in the dark, fly without noise and have big creepy eyes. Perfect silent predator. I'm leaning towards an **__**avian**__** creature for utility purposes so I'll definitely be considering it.**_

_**SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan: The jonin was just some random chump. Just wanted to make it seem more realistic (if it was anyone lower Kurenai would have just beaten the shit out of them).**_

Standard disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Basilisk.

* * *

_**Naruto age 16 (two weeks before graduation)**_

It was the cool morning breeze that greeted Akeginu when she entered the courtyard to begin Naruto training for the day. That was nothing strange in itself as it was rarely warm down here beneath the earth. The first rays of sunlight were just beginning to penetrate the hollows roof and bathe what was left of Iga Tsubagakure in light. A few stray rays of sunlight trickled forward marking her pale oval face as gazed upon her student who had already started training.

They always begun training at sunrise, every day for the last ten years they had trained like clockwork from sunrise to mid-morning before stopping and beginning Naruto's studies. Then they would return to the training grounds in the afternoon before resting for dinner and further studies at night, though they did have the occasional nightly training, Naruto needed to learn to fight in the dark after all.

This morning Akeginu was greeted with a nostalgic sound, the sound of battle; the clash of steel against steel, the dull thud of flesh on flesh and the occasional cry of the injured. It had been a while since she had heard the sound of so many swords clashing. The source of these sounds was peculiar to say the least, in her opinion anyway. To any ordinary onlooker it would look like a dozen identical blond ninjas were tearing each other to pieces. A ninja however would be able to recognise the use of clones, shadow clones in this instance.

Yes, peculiar was the right word for it, the sight of someone killing themselves was never something you got used to and this method was atypical to say the least. She shook her head; it was almost like some form of ritualistic suicide, Naruto was literally killing himself over and over and over again.

She stood perhaps thirty feet from the malady, observing the scene with interest. Naruto was performing well against his group of clone enemies. He had managed to whittle their numbers down to four who were now in the process of surrounding him, circling him with well-trained movements, swords pointed out towards Naruto in the centre. It was like a strange dance.

Naruto appeared completely relaxed, showing no concern at the fact that four admittedly tough clones had him covered from every direction. But why would he be worried, after all he had already killed eight without sustaining injury.

Without warning Naruto suddenly stood still. As soon as he stopped moving multiple razor wires like ropes were released in a blaze of destruction. The ropes uncurled from his body as if they were alive and moved like a whirlwind out towards all four clones hitting them all simultaneously. In an instant all clones were demolished, gone in a puff of smoke.

Akeginu had to admit the technique was effective. She'd seen Yashimaru use it before, essentially he would keep the ropes in constant motion around his body cutting anything that came close to him. If you looked hard enough it appear as if the ropes were cutting a sphere through in the air around his body. **(1)**

For a technical perspective it was one of major advantages of the ebon rope technique – malleability. The ropes could practically move in any direction with little effort. Once you learnt how to control them they could change direction at angles and speeds that were impossible to achieve with a sword. This advantage was only compounded by the fact that the way the ropes moved in no way corresponded with the movements of the users body. Most martial artist rely on reading an opponent's body to get an advantage, this is especially true for swordsmen. However, Naruto manipulates the ropes with the tips of his fingers. His posture, footwork and stance in no way reflect what he was doing with the ropes, in fact he could be doing back flips and his ropes would still be moving and attacking independent of the rest from his body. **(2) **This factor, along with their steel like strength, the huge range, their near invisibility and their razor sharp edges made them vastly superior to a katana in almost every way. If only they won't so dangerous to use then more could be taught the technique, however it took decades of intense training for even the most talented of ninja to master them.

Seeing Naruto stop and pull the ropes back into his body Akeginu finished observing her pupil and moved in to talk with him.

"Quite the show Naruto, looks like you've finally got the hang of using those ropes in combat."

"Yeah, it only took me eight years," said Naruto with a light touch of sarcasm. She knew how hard he worked at perfecting the ebon ropes, he still had work to do but his control was truly amazing, he was close to Yashamaru's level right now but lacked experience.

"Well your hard work's paid off; no one can touch you with those things in play," she said, acknowledging his effort.

Naruto licked his lips and formed a slightly disturbing smile at the thought of putting his ropes 'in play'. "Oh, I'm well aware of that, my clones just found out the same thing," he replied.

She laughed at that, you'd think his clones would know better, it seemed they weren't as cautious as he was. Interesting.

"So what are we doing today sensei?" Naruto asked, no doubt wondering what tortuous training regime she had prepared for him this time.

However Akeginu's mood shifted at the mention of what they were going to do today, it was time for the next stage in her student's development and that meant only one thing; Naruto's training was at an end.

It wasn't that he'd done everything possible to perfect his techniques, far from it, or that he had learnt all the Iga clan's secret jutsus, that simply wasn't the case. No, to grow Naruto needed experience, experience you could not get from training no matter how arduous and intense it was.

He needed to face people who wanted to kill him. He needed to act where his decisions would cost lives, and understand that one wrong decision in the field could cost you your life or the life of a teammate. His training might have prepared him for those things but you could never really tell until the moment it mattered. Fortunately they already knew he could kill when needed, but killing was only one aspect of being a ninja.

There were also other techniques she _could_ teach him, it would be a reasonable excuse to continue his training, and keep him close to her. She hadn't taught him Nenki's hair jutsu yet, but that was because she'd rather have Naruto focus on developing his current skills. Nor would she consider teaching Naruto how to liquidize his body, that technique had left her friend Jingorou's looking like he had an advanced form of leprosy. Techniques like that would ostracise him even further from the local community. Similarly Rousai's limb extending ability was essentially a bloodline, he could only fight like that because all his joints were double jointed. No, what Naruto needed was not more training but experience, real missions which he needed that village for, at least for the time being anyway.

Akeginu sighed, she was definitely feeling a bit depressed. Naruto would probably come here less and less often as he got older. She would like nothing more than to be his sensei and lead him in the field but she knew that would never be the case.

She gave herself a mental kick, _enough, this is for the good Naruto and for Iga. It's time for Naruto to spread his wings._

"No training today Naruto,"

"What?" Naruto asked in surprise, in ten years he'd never had a day off training.

"Naruto… it's time for me to give you your final test," she said in a serious tone.

"Final test?" Naruto asked sounding intrigued.

"Yep, have a look," said Akeginu as she tossed him a scroll.

Naruto caught the scroll and stood up. Opening it, he gave the scroll a quick read before noticing what it was, "This is that mission you had me pick up a few months ago."

Several months ago she had Naruto 'relieve' the Hokage Tower of one of their B rank missions. It was nothing too serious but she wanted his skills to remain sharp so she regularly sent him on little tests such as this. He used a clone under a henge to distract the chūnin at the desk why he made off with one of the mission scrolls. It was yet another example of that villages appalling security. If anyone had tried that in Iga they would never had made it out of the valley alive.

She acknowledged Naruto's observation, "Mm hm. You're going to complete this B rank mission for your Iga graduation."

"Graduation?" Naruto asked.

"Yes graduation, after today you'll be an Iga genin," replied Akeginu.

_An insanely good genin, _thought Akeginu to herself. The title was more a reflection of experience than skill, at least as far as Naruto was concerned.

"Do you think I'm ready?" Naruto asked.

"I wouldn't be giving you the test if I didn't think you were ready. What would you say your level is Naruto? Be honest."

"Chūnin probably," Naurto said after thinking for a few moments.

_High __chūnin __at least, _she considered. She could qualify that, as soon as the mystic eyes were added to the equation is level became considerably higher, not many would be able to match him once he removed all their jutsus.

In truth Naruto was selling himself short. His kenjutsu was easily jōnin level, in fact his skill with the sword was more akin to a high level samurai than a ninja. True ninja swordsman weren't exactly common, and most ninjas who utilised swords would not be able to match his Iado and Kenjutsu combination.

While Naruto may not have the arsenal of jutsu the jōnin ninja in Konoha seemed to have, he didn't need it. She never understood the point of having a laundry list of techniques; you couldn't possibly know how to use each and every one of them properly. The few jutsus Naruto had were all he needed at this time, not to mention several were completely unique and highly dangerous in their own right. No, the techniques Iga developed hidden in the darkness of the mountains and valleys of the Iga province fed by their hate for the Kouga would be more than a match for anything this world had to offer, she was sure of it.

Akeginu looked down at the notes she had made on Naruto:

* * *

_Naruto Uzumakei-Iga_

_**Kenjutsu**__ – B (Tenzen's Battojutsu style; __Jōnin __level.)_

_**Taijutsu**__ – C+ (Mid-high __chūnin __level; though style will be unfamiliar to most.)_

_**Ninjutsu**__ – B (S) (Basic academy jutsus; number of __chūnin __jutsus; several B rank chakra flow techniques; kinjutsu kage bunshin and several Iga secret jutsus: Blood projection, Blood mist and Kamaitachi, all of which would be S ranked secret techniques using the villages classification system.)_

_**Genjutsu**__ – D+ (High genin level; needs a teacher to improve further, it's not a field I'm familiar with.)_

_**Fūinjutsu**__– C _(B_asic __chūnin;__ a natural at this but hasn't had a lot of time to increase his skill level. I note the practical utility of these seals and suggest he learn more quickly, especially considering one is used to imprison the demon. As with genjutsu I'm largely unfamiliar with this, he will need another teacher or a least more scrolls on the subject.)_

_**Iga Ebon Rope** – C+(S) (Secret technique only Naruto knows, will improve level with experience; appears to be working on some sort of lightning chakra combination. Currently around high __chūnin level in skill. Note that even at basic __chūnin level the ropes are so devastating that most jonin would be defeated._)

_**Kekkai Genkai:** Mystic Eyes (Absolute defence against jutsus and ninja techniques, theoretically if he uses these properly he should never lose a battle.)_

_Notes_:

_Most of the jutsus he knows are "hidden" or secret jutsus, secret techniques unique to Iga that can't be copied. The novelty of these techniques will be a huge advantage in the field so much so that i should place him on equal footing with most jonin. Taking into consideration his mystic eyes as well only the most skilled and experienced opponents should be a concern for him._

_Also need to consider his ability to completely supress his chakra and move without being seen. Using the local's classification he would be near A or kage level at shin obi movements and similar technqiues. Combined with the blood mist and ebon ropes this makes him exceptionally adept silent killing and ideal for assassination missions._

_Note mentality: Naruto is considerably more mature than most his age. Well aware that there is no honour in being a shinobi, that it is kill by any means necessary. Victory is all that matters._

_Also note he after studying the writings of Tenzen and Hattori Hanzo the 1__st__ in depth he has a very strategic mind._

* * *

Akeginu gave a small smile looking at her student's profile. Combining all those factors he was close to if not equal to or better than jōnin in skill level, he just lacked the necessary experience, something she would rectifying immediately.

She briefed Naruto on the mission, "The mission is to put an end to a slaver who has been operating near the border of fire and Hot Water country. You must locate the base of operations, assassinate the leader and put an end to slavery operations in the area."

Naruto just listened carefully noting each of his assignments. First he needed to find the bases; the scroll only gave a general location. Second he needed to identify the leader and kill him. Third he needed to stop the operations in the area, which likely meant killing most of the other slavers or destroying the camp. Certainly not an easy task for his first real mission, though that wasn't surprising considering his sensei, she was a hard task master.

Some might think that this was an impossible task for a genin but Akeginu knew what his skill level was and was confident he could perform admirably. She'd sent him on little assignments over the years like infiltrating the Hokage tower, or stealing certain scrolls, he would do fine. She wasn't going to waste his time with some of those ridiculous D ranked missions some of the young ninjas of the village did. Finding pets and painting fences, it was like there was a labour shortage in the village or something. No, he was going to do serious shinobi work.

"They're only thugs and mercenaries, but there's bound to be quite a few of them so it'll still be dangerous," she warned, they might be skill less thugs but anyone can kill especially when numbers are on your side.

Naruto nodded his head in agreement; he would give the mission its due.

"It'll take us a few days to get there so I suggest we leave immediately," said Akeginu.

"You're coming?" Naruto asked.

"Of course, I need to evaluate you on this, it's not personal like your first kill, this is a real test," Akeginu explained.

With that they both got up and left to pack for their journey to the border.

* * *

**2 days later**

The sun had just gone down on the horizon as Naruto and Akeginu stood upon an outcropping overlooking a newly set up camp. The camp was a mess to say the least; just a bunch of poorly maintained tents and temporary camp fires. There was a sprinkling of mercenaries throughout the site but most were eating dinner around a fire in the middle of the camp.

Naruto clenched his teeth as he spotted slave pens on the far side of the camp. There were few things he disliked more than robbing a person of their freedom. Most shinobi missions involved morally ambiguous work but sometimes you got lucky and got the opportunity to remove some real scum from the world.

"Looks like we've found it," said Naruto.

"Yep, this definitely it," said Akeginu as she looked upon the camp with distaste, "As bad as I suspected. What's your approach?"

Naruto took a moment to consider. He had numerous options available to him. There was the walk through the front door and slaughter them approach; not really his style, he preferred subtler forms of destruction. He could weave his ropes throughout the camp then use them to slice the entire compound to pieces in instant; tempting but that would be time consuming and there were more efficient options he could take. His best bet was a silent killing approach.

Decided he told Akeginu, "I'll confuse them with the blood mist then move in under cover and take them out one by one."

Akeginu nodded her head, "Good plan, it looks like all the slaves are in a pen on the far side of the camp, you won't have to worry about collateral damage."

He looked across the site once more observing a few patrols around the outside of the camp, "I'll cut down the ones on the permitter first then move towards the group around the campfire."

"What are their numbers?" Akeginu asked.

"I count seventeen, no more than twenty. The leader looks to be holed up in the large tent at the centre of the camp."

Akeginu nodded, he had his plan all that was left was to execute it, "Get to it then, I don't want to be out here all night," she said flashing him a smile.

He gave a small shake of his head, "I'll make it quick."

With that he dropped down from the outcropping and landed below about forty metres from the camp.

"Time to get this show started."

He took a deep breath letting his body relax. He concentrated on his pulse; the constant beats of his heart, trying to feel his blood being pumped through his veins. He could feel it like a river running through his body. He urged his blood to change course, not through his body but out of it and it responded to his will. First blood started to poor from his eyes and nose, then it started to seep through his pores. His skin became permeable and then the blood started to bubble out of every visible surface. To any onlookers it would appear that he was about to suffer from exsanguination. However, the hemorrhage of blood was just part of the technique, he was in complete control. With a small pulse of chakra the blood dispersed out into the atmosphere. Within seconds a heavy, dull red mist descended over the immediate area, cloaking the entire camp in blood red.

He raised his hand in front of his face. He could barely see it. _Perfect_, the slavers relied solely on their sight, and there was no way they would be able to see more than a foot in front of them, they would be defensless. With his preparation complete Naruto drew his katana and vanished into the bloody mist.

He moved like a ghost through the mist, completely invisible. Closing his eyes he prepared to locate his first target. He didn't really need his eyes for this, there was chakra in his blood, and he could literally sense everything his blood came into contact with. The slightest movement from his targets would give them away, and wouldn't you know it, they were running around like headless chickens.

Moving quickly through the mist he silently ran up to his first target. With no hesitation he reached up around the patrolling slaver and slit his throat - one down. The man didn't even make a sound as he died without even noticing he'd been attacked. The advantage of killing like this was that it was completely soundless. Target one of the vital spots on the body and you could kill in complete silence: brain, heart, lung, jugular, kidney, spine, subclavian artery, and stomach, hit one and the person is as good as dead. With the mist in place these fools were completely at his mercy.

Moving on Naruto came across his second target, this time he came up behind the man and put his katana through his back and into his heart. Two down.

Soon three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten followed. All of them died without making a sound. Some let out a whimper or a gurgle but the thick mist disrupted sound almost as much as it did sight and smell, all you could hear was silence. Even to him, the predator, the silence was a bit unnerving.

He came up to his eleventh victim and decided to do things differently. The remaining six were huddled around in the middle of camp, he wanted to try and get them to separate. So, it was time to scare them a little more. This time he came up in front of the man and cut his target straight across his stomach. The man let out a gut-wrenching scream.

_Hopefully that will get them moving._

Unfortunately that was not the case. Instead of panicking and running out into the mist to die they huddled together weapons facing outwards towards the mist.

_Tch, who'd of figured, I don't know whether they're smart or just cowards. Not that huddling around in a circle will save them._

With is original plan foiled by the smart and cowardly slavers Naruto opted for Plan B. He flicked the blood off his katana and sheathed it. Focusing on the group of men he dropped his arms and untangled the ropes from his wrists. Concentrating he channelled some wind chakra into his ropes making them impossibly sharp before flicking his wrists and arms out back across his body. His ropes followed like a waves out towards the men. From left and right they slithered through the mists like invisible serpents intent on prey. It was over in an instant. With the wind chakra infusing his ropes they went through the men like a knife through hot butter. One moment the men were standing on guard, the next the ropes passed them and they toppled in pieces.

_Wow, that wind chakra makes these ropes insanely sharp; I barely felt any resistance even when they cut bone, _Naruto observed.

Bringing his ropes back in Naruto paused. The leader was the only one left and he was making a run for it.

_Idiot. _

With that thought Naruto whipped one of his ropes towards the retreating slaver and lassoed the rope around his neck. Observing from the side, the man's body kept moving but his head stayed where it was, momentarily still before tumbling to the ground. His body stumbled around a bit before following discharging spouts of blood as it went.

"Mission complete."

The entire slaughter hadn't even taken five minutes. Naruto took a deep breath and dispersed the mists. With the mist cleared he got a good look at his handy work, it wasn't pretty. The entire camp was awash with blood and body parts. His mist hadn't helped, the whole camp smelt of blood and bile, but he didn't care the men had deserved it.

Done examining the bodies Naruto made his way towards the slave pens intent on freeing the slaves. Standing before the pens he didn't like the sight he was greeted with.

Bodies lay broken and chained to the bars of the cages. Unclean, diseased even they looked as if they had been through hell itself. His jaw clenched as he spotted children amongst the slaves.

He may have just killed seventeen men without hesitation but the sight of these people broken in chains spirits crushed gave him pause. It reminded him too much of his old life, he too had been abused but even then he had still retained his freedom, or at least the illusion of it, these people didn't even have that.

"Humans are disgusting creatures," he said.

Naruto wasn't aware of it, but deep inside him a certain fox was nodding its head in agreement.

_Time to put an end to this, _Naruto thought.

So intent was he on the sight before him that he failed to notice someone approach with speed until Akeginu yelled, "Naruto watch out!"

He dived to his right automatically, but he wasn't fast enough. He felt a sharp pain in his right arm and _warmth? _Looking down at where his arm should have been he saw nothing but red, and that was when the pain really hit him.

_Ahh, what? My arm's been cut off. How the…_

Naruto clenched his teeth and clamped his hand over what was left of his arm to try and stop the bleeding.

"Tch, missed him," said a voice he didn't recognise.

Naruto looked up and saw a ninja wielding a bright yellow sword. He recognised him from the Bingo Book, it was Aoi Rokushō . That meant that the sword was Raijin no Ken, the former sword of Tobirama Senju. No wonder his arm had been severed, the sword was meant to be ridiculously powerful. This was problematic; Aoi was a B rank missing nin and he was severely injured.

It got worse, Aoi was joined by four more shinobi who were standing around the corpse of the slaver leader. They all looked relatively experienced, non genin amongst them.

"Shit, he killed our pay cheque boss," said one of the ninja's.

"Only a kid too. Let's kill him already," said another.

Aoi moved a bit closer to Naruto with an arrogant smirk on his face, "That slaver was paying us to take care of some Kumo nin across the border, not to mention we each a had slice of the profit by keeping ninjas away from this area, you'll pay for destroying our operation."

Naruto didn't bother replying to the fool, the man had just wasted his only chance to kill him he wouldn't get another, "Kurama, take care of this."

The moment the words left his mouth his entire body became encased in a malevolent blood red chakra.

The ninjas' eyes widened and all took a step back in fear at the sheer power Naruto was emitting. Then much to their shock and horror Naruto's arm began to grow back.

First bone extended from the shoulder almost like a new born plant but growing at an amazing speed. The bone kept extending until a skeletal arm could be seen. The bone was quickly followed by ligaments and sinew attaching in various places around the bone. Muscles, veins, capillaries all started moving about like thousands of tentacles, wrapping around bone and flesh until the arm was repaired as good as new. It was a fascinating and disgusting sight. **(3)**

Everyone except Naruto stood stunned at what had just occurred, even Akeginu who had rushed to his side to check on him couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"You do good work," said Naruto in a calm voice. He stood looking at his arm as if he was examining a freshly minted weapon or piece of craftsmanship. His arm was completely fine, exactly as it had been before.

"_**Of course, who do you think I am? Or did you not believe I would perform my end of the contract?" **_the Kyuubi sub vocalised.

"No, of course not. I had no concerns that a Kitsune, a creature known for its deception would not try to pull one over on me " he replied sarcasticaly reminiscing about his first conversation with the Kyuubi half a year ago.

* * *

_**Flashback - 6 months ago**_

Naruto sat in silence, meditating on a rock on the outskirts of the ruins. He'd been trying to contact the fox for almost two years and it was only recently that he started to have some success. Lately he'd been able to enter his mindscape though he had not been greeted by a giant nine tailed fox or anything really except a murky cloud. It was if he had couldn't yet conceptualise his own mindscape. It just meant he needed more practice.

However, this time Naruto opened his eyes to see someplace he had never been before. This was different. He was standing on a polished rosewood floor in a large rectangular room. The room resembled the inside of a well-maintained dojo. The dark timbered floor boards were recently cleaned and the walls had paintings of various battles on them, none that he recognized though. Most of them portrayed various ninjas battling samurai across mountains and valleys.

He looked to the left, an opening let out onto a balcony giving a nice view of a well maintained garden unlike anything he'd ever seen before. There were several large ponds which were full of fish, water features and various plants all of which looked like they had been expertly cut by a competent gardener. It seemed he was on the second floor of some large structure.

Not wasting anytime he jumped down from the second floor onto the courtyard beneath. Landing he took another look around and was surprised at what he saw. The design was very different from the buildings in Konoha, in fact the building appeared to be more of a castle than anything else. The roofs of the building were layered with a gable on the roof of each story, covered with dark tiles and angled downwards. Notably there seemed to be a statue at each corner of the roof. He smirked the statue was of a little fox.

_Looks like I'm in the right place, _he thought.

He concluded that it was much more impressive than the clan compounds he had seen around Konoha, this place looked like somewhere a daimyo would live.

"My minds a nice place."

"_**It certainly is… for a human anyway," **_said a loud voice out of nowhere. The voice had an odd flanging texture too it, definitely not made with human vocal chords.

He decided to follow the sound of the inhuman voice. After all he was here to meet the Kyuubi and he doubted that there was more than one alien voice in his head.

Walking through the garden he made his way into a bamboo forest which made up the outskirts of the estate. After walking for several minutes he came to a hill and a very long staircase. He recognized this, there was no doubt about it; this was the same shrine that was at the ruins only…not ruined but in pristine condition. If he was right he'd find a shrine to a god he wasn't familiar with at the top of this stair case, hopefully the kyuubi too.

He begun the long walk up the steps with a curse, "Damn fox_"_. Only that thing would perch itself a top five hundred steps at a shrine to a god.

Ten minutes later Naruto reached the summit, "That Kitsune better be up here, no way I'm walking all the way back down there."

"_**You won't be going anywhere boy. No get over here so I can take a look at you," **_ordered the loud, flanging voice.

Turning towards the shrine he saw it housed the largest fox he had ever seen, it must be close to ninety feet tall. The fox had an orange red colored fur, with black lips and striking blood red eyes. Its distinctive nine tails flowed around it caressing its body. The fox itself was locked behind a brass gate that was held in place by a piece of paper.

_That must be the seal, _he observed.

"Do have to speak so loudly?" Naruto asked. He knew it wasn't the most pressing matter but he'd damage his hearing having at conversation at that volume.

"_**That's what you ask? You've been trying to talk with me for years and when you finally get here you ask me to tone it down a little,"**_ said the amused fox completely ignoring his request to turn the volume down.

Naruto held his hands to his ears. _Damn fox completely ignored me. _"Tone it down fox."

"_**Or what?" Questioned the Kyuubi. **_

So the fox wanted to play this game. Naruto smirked, so be it. If the fox wouldn't co-operate he had no compulsion about forcing it to, it was not like he had any sympathy for the creature. His eyes shone brighter for a second as he activated his mystic eyes and looked directly at the foxes blood red ones.

The effect was immediate. The fox howled in pain and crumpled to the grown as if being forced down by an incredible weight. Steam started coming off the fox in waves like it's very blood was boiling though it'd more accurate to say its chakra was reacting to the eyes since the creature was basically an intelligent giant ball of the stuff.

Naruto stood still observing the fox writhing on the ground, taking note of its reaction to his eyes. He hadn't known what reaction he would get, Akeginu had told him he would get a volatile reaction using the eyes on yokai but he hadn't known exactly what type of reaction. Now he knew, his eyes hurt yokai even ones as powerful as the nine tailed beast. He briefly wondered if his eyes were unravelling the yokai's makeup from scratch, but he didn't have enough evidence to make such conclusions. After a few seconds he let up.

_Lets see if the yokai is more receptive now._

"_**That was…unpleasant, much worse than chakra chains or mokuton," said the Kyuubi.**_

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that remark; it seemed the Kyuubi had been host to at least two others, and mokuton? That hadn't been seen since Hashirama Senju. There's defintley a story there.

"I don't know what your other hosts were like but I will not play this game. I have no desire to use my eyes on you but I will not allow you to interfere with my plans. If I have to subdue you I will," he said handing the creature an ultimatum.

The Kyuubi gave him an odd look before letting out a demonic chuckle. _**"It seems the stories about those eyes are true," **_said the Kyuubi.

That surprised him a little, though in hindsight it probably shouldn't have, "Oh, you're familiar with my eyes?"

"_**Of course, who do you think you're talking to? I've been around for over a thousand years. Those eyes…they are divine, older than the Rinnegan even."**_

Naruto didn't say anything, just nodded at that revelation. He and Akeginu had postulated that the eyes must either be divine or demonic in nature; they were too powerful to be developed by human means. They speculated that the Kouga dojutsu one was demonic in origin– basilisk eyes **(4)** is what Akeginu called them, they reflected intent and could make anyone who looked in them commit suicide, it wasn't a stretch to think they were a gift from a demon. Some Kouga ancestor probably made some sort of contract for them and passed down the dojutsu through blood.

His eyes though were different, more powerful. Even the basilisk eyes had no effect on them, their power was absolute. The only conclusion is that they came from either a stronger demon or something even more powerful than a demon. Considering the defensive nature of his eyes and that you couldn't harm people with them it seemed unlikely that they came from an evil creature.

"_**Intriguing," **_the fox observed, "_**you don't sound surprised."**_

"I'm not. The eyes are too powerful to be a human creation," he replied voicing his earlier thoughts. He was interested to see if the fox had anything to add.

"_**Your right, all most of the powerful dojutsus come from the supernatural world. The sharingan" **_it said the name with disgust "_**came from the Rikudo Sennin, who was for all intensive purposes a god. He himself got his rinnegan eyes form a being of a similar nature. Those madness eyes, the opposite of yours are demonic. The mystic eyes of death perception, well they come from something far more powerful. "**_

He didn't know what death perception was but it sounded dangerous.

"_**Your eyes though are different, rays of sunlight where the others are darkness. The others are born from pain, misery, and death where yours just are; they exist without any great sacrifice. The rinneagan requires mind shattering anguish to awaken, the true sharingan requires you to betray the ones you love the most, and the eyes of death perception require you to touch the other side. Yours require nothing yet give you the strength to counter all of them.**_

This was fascinating, it seemed the fox would be a fountain of knowledge if he could get it to co-operate, "Do you know where the mystic eyes came from?"

"_**No, but definitely from some powerful creature of light, even... a god maybe."**_

As much as he would like to talk more on this topic he had more pressing matters to deal with, "This is interesting Kyuubi but it's not why I'm here. I'm here to talk about us."

"_**Of course you are, why else would you be here, so go on make your case I will hear you out. Though I suggest you don't get you hopes up little one, I do not like humans very much."**_

It said the word 'humans' with disgust, the fox really had some issues with his species, more than just petty disgust for a weaker species.

The kyuubi then relaxed and sat down, its head resting on its paws out in front of its body.

"I do not like unknowns Kyuubi and right now that's exactly what you are. I can't have you suddenly popping up in my mind in the middle of a fight. I want an agreement in place before I go out into the field, between you and me."

"_**What makes you think I'd make a deal with a human, your species is not exactly trustworthy. Look at your life, all that is stopping me from destroying that village is your will power yet they treat you like trash. Why would I contract to a human?"**_

"I'm different from the ones responsible for your incarceration, I know what it like to be trodden on, to be abused," he replied looking to differentiate himself from the people of Konoha.

"_**Would you let me out?"**_

"No, at least not at this stage anyway. I don't trust you either," he responded.

"_**Then we're at an impasse," **_said the Kyuubi.

"No we're not, I have the better bargaining position. I either get an agreement out of you or I turn my eyes upon you and we go from there." He didn;t think threatening the creature was wise but he had to let it know he wasn't to be trifled with.

"_**So in the end you become an oppressor like the rest," **_said the Kyuubi in a resigned voice.

"Don't play the oppressed victim it doesn't suit you."

"_**You're right," **_said the fox, losing the resigned tone as quickly as it picked it up. _**"Those eyes may cause me intense pain but they won't completely block my power, if I fought through the pain barrier I think I could take you down with me if you use those on me again."**_

Naruto shook his head at the obvious attempt at manipulation; he'd have to be careful around this one, "I don't know what your problem is anyway, you have little to lose by assisting me."

"_**Besides my dignity?"**_

"That went away the moment you lost to a human and got sealed in a baby," he responded.

"_**I didn't lose to a human! I lost to a shinigami – big difference,"**_ the Kyuubi's eyes glowed dangerously, as if I affronted its honour by daring to infer that it lost to a human.

"My point is being stubborn about not going to help you much."

"_**Oh, you humans don't exactly have a good track record with keeping agreements, you'd kill your own mother for a piece of food, how could I trust you?"**_

"You should be able to tell, you're in my head, your aware of my experiences. I'm not like most."

"_**And that's supposed to reassure me? You lie to everyone, your precious sensei included, didn't tell her about that little fight with the Uchiha did you?" **_

"Your one to talk, you're a freaking kitsune, your species is famous for deceiving people," he stated.

"_**Like I said an impasse. I don't trust you, you don't trust me. You use your eyes on me and I'll kill you and likely die with you,"**_the Kyuubi said summarising their current position.

Naruto stood silent for a minute looking at the fox, today had gone better than he'd thought but worse than he hoped, but then again he never really believed he get an agreement out of the fox straight away.

"What's your name Kyuubi?" Naruto asked.

The fox looked surprised at his question, _**"You're only the second human to ever ask me that question."**_

"Who was the first?" He asked.

"_**Sage of Six Paths,"**_ Kyuubi replied.

He didn't know what to say to that, apparently the fox was on a first name basis with the most significant figure in history.

The fox stood still for a moment and then its form shuddered before melting into a bubbly red like substance on the floor.

He took a step back, "Gross," he observed; it looked like red paint boiling.

The 'paint' started to form a figure, human in shaped. The red faded and in its place stood a human female with thick, long bright red hair. Her eyes were the exact same as the Kyuubi as were the black lips, though they had become distinctly human shaped. Naruto was trying to keep his eyes of her face, which was pale and a perfect oval shape, but he was failing. She was naked, her rather ample curves on display for him to see.

_Don't look down there Naruto, _he urged himself as he caught a glimpse of more red hair.

He raised his eyebrow a little and asked "Shapeshifting?" Try as he might he felt a little bit of a blush appear on his face.

The fox let a little victorious smile appear on her face. Ignoring his question she started walking around him in a circle like a predator stalking its prey. Her nine tails flowed behind her, fanning out like a peacock on display.

She shook her head, _**"You know this form would have had your father begging on his knees."**_

"You knew the Yondaime Hokage that well?" Naruto asked.

"_**Not quite, let's say I knew someone he knew him. Surprising, you're not shocked that he was your father. You knew?" **_She asked.

"Suspected. I mean, my likeness is plastered on a mountain face. Considering the dates and my lack of parents it was pretty easy to figure out."

"_**You holding up quite well, most men would be clay in my hands by now. Figures, I finally get a male host to use my seduction on and he's not interested. Too much exposure to that sexy sensei of yours I bet."**_She sounded a little disappointed that her nudity didn't have him as a complete drooling mess on the floor.

"Can you put some clothes on?" He asked, he was having trouble concentrating on the important things like not dying horribly.

"_**Sorry kit, no can do. Usually I'd conjure up an illusion, wear a nice kimono but that won't work on your eyes. I could shapeshift my skin into clothes but that would be very very uncomfortable."**_

He briefly wondered if she didn't know he could turn his eyes on and off, but decided she did, she seemed to know about his training after all. _She just wants to stay naked, _he concluded.

"Kit?" He asked wondering about the name.

"_**You're a child are you not? What else would I call you?"**_

"Master?"

Her eyes glowed bright red again. He concluded she did this when angry. _Looks like I hit a soft spot there._

"_**You wish," **_she replied, composing herself.

He wasn't getting anywhere with this, "are you going to tell me your name or not?"

"_**Alright kit, my name's Kurama."**_

"Well Kurama-san, what do you say?" He asked hoping to get an answer to his offer.

"_**What exactly would co-operating with you entail? I will be slave to no man."**_

"We can work out the details later, for now if you choose to accept I would ask that you put you considerable power to use in making sure I do not die. I want you to be able to heal _any _injures I get." He wanted the same ability Tenzen had, not that he planed on dying anytime soon but expect the unexpected.

"_**That it? I admit I have some prodigious healing abilities, but I thought you'd want access to my shapeshifting or powerful illusions,"**_said Kurama, surprised that he ask for so little.

It was a matter of perspective, he thought that near immortality was asking a lot. Apparently it wasn't that impressive to the thousand year old yokai, just one of her run of the mill abilities.

"Not right now, though I admit your genjutsu is intriguing. I don't need help with killing things, I just need to make sure that if by some chance I am severally injured I don't die," he said explaining his reasoning to her.

"_**I could certainly do that and then some, you already heal quicker than normal without any conscious effort on my part, putting a few tails worth a chakra into healing would mean high speed regeneration."**_

"My thoughts exactly."

Kurama paused considering his offer, _**"I'll think about it."**_

"You have my offer, feel free to let me know your decision at your convenience."

With that he turned and walked away fading as he left his mindscape.

* * *

_What an interesting boy_, Kurama thought, quite different from most humans she had come in contact with. Her previous hosts hadn't been anywhere near as interesting. Her last one had been a loudmouth hothead, and the one before that a seal fanatic. Both had been women as well, boring women too.

As a standard rule she despised humans, the arrogant creatures had used and imprisoned her for over a century. This one was different though; this one had approached her with an offer, not forced her or chained her to use her power but asked her for it. So young too! And those eyes, finally she would have her vengeance on the Sharingan. Yes, she'd have fun bringing this one to heel.

Ultimately it was a simple decision. Since she couldn't get out into the world this human would be her instrument. She would use him, mould him so he would favour her, do as she desired, through him she'd once again exert influence upon the world. She knew one day he'd eventually clash with the one responsible for her imprisonment and when that happened she'll finally have her revenge.

"_**Offer accepted."**_

* * *

Back in the present Naruto finished examining his arm and looked at the group of missing nin front of him. He was pissed. Not at them but at himself and he had every intention of taking his anger out on them.

"You're going to die for that," he said, voice practically dripping with malice.

Before they could respond, he raised his new hand to his lips, "_shuu."_ He sucked wind into his mouth drawing subtle breath through his fingers. None of the nin noticed air being drawn inwards behind them, compressing before forming two separate vacuums. Two dark voids formed in the air drawing in the surrounding air with an enormous amount of centrifugal force.

That was when they noticed, "What the fu-"

That was as far as they got before the screamed, "Ahhhh," and the vacuums ripped them apart. The two closest to the vacuums died immediately, ripped in half by the force of the vacuums. The other two won't so lucky, the one of the far right had his arm ripped of and was left screaming on the ground as he slowly bled to death. The other had a large chunk of his body ripped off and was rolling around in his own intestines on the ground.

Aoi looked back in shock at was done to his men, "what the hell was that" Aoi screamed at Naruto.

Naruto didn't respond; _was he serious expecting an answer?_ Instead he whipped out several ropes in a cracking motion cleaving the ground between the two of them.

Aoi managed to use **kawarimi** just in time as the log was split in half.

He appeared in a, nearby tree throwing an umbrella into the air. The umbrella opened releasing dozens of senbon at him.

It was a novel technique, he admit that much but useless against his ropes. Naruto drew his ropes back into him before whipping them in constant motion around his body. The senbon were cut to pieces by his ropes, none making it past the barrier he made.

Aoi landed about twenty paces in front of him intent of attacking with the lightning sword but before he could do anything Naruto blew another vacuum at him. Aoi tried to use **Katon: Kimuchi Amura**, a defensive fire jutsu.

Naruto almost laughed, it was a vacuum, unblockable, he was attacking a hole in space. The fire or rather the oxygen fuelling the fire was immediately sucked into the hole extinguishing the flame but it gave Aoi enough time to distance himself form the devastating jutsu.

Naruto decided to finish it there; he closed the distance between them to about ten paces before using his index finger on his left hand to arc a rope toward Aoi.

Aoi tried to block the rope with the lightning sword, key word being tried. The ropes could move in any direction, in a sense it was one of their defining characteristics of the ebon rope technique. This time Naruto used a pulling motion and one of his ropes change direction at an acute angle running right across Aoi's wrist severing the hand holding the sword. Cutting off the sword hand was just about the wost thing you could do to a swordsman, it was also just about the ultimate display of weapons skill. It was also repayment for his early transgression.

Aoi collapsed to the ground clutching his served hand. He did well not to scream, he'd give him that.

Naruto didn't comment though he merely raised his left hand and flicked his fingers. Two ropes immediately arced around behind Aoi injured form and wrapped him up. Naruto pulled the ropes tight forcing Aoi to scream this time.

"There a rather substantial bounty on you head, you know? I intend to collect."

With that Aoi ceased to exist. Naruto pulled his wire tight with his left arm and they sliced through Aoi's body leaving him in bits and pieces on the ground.

"Lovely," he commented at the mess in front of him.

Naruto gingerly walked over to the scene, it looked like scarps from the abattoir floor. He picked up Aoi's head and sealed it away in a scroll. He'd make sure to get the bounty on that after he became a shinobi. Naruto looked at the sword lying on the ground. Tossing away the attached hand, he picked it up and activated it. The damn thing nearly blinded him, deactivating it he sealed it away as well in a scroll.

"Too bright, I'm pretty sure they saw that in Suna."

_The sword may be powerful but its useless to me. I prefer silent killing, and this is about as subtle as a brick in the face._

"Naruto!" Akeginu yelled, before trying to smack him in the head. Unfortunately for her she merely phased through him, she wasn't tangible outside of the ruins.

"Hehe, did you forget that you're not solid out here?" Naruto teased.

"Shut it Naruto wh..what the hell happened with your arm?"

"Oh, Kyuubi, happened," he replied.

"Kyuubi? The fox? You got the fox to help you?" Akeginu asked.

"Yep, I got it to communicate with me sixth months ago, this is the first chance I've had to test its abilities," answered Naruto, holding up his new arm for her to see.

"Why didn't you tell me? Do you know how worried you just had me?" Akeginu asked. She was clearly upset over seeing him so badly injured.

"I wanted it to be a surprise, I wasn't planning on telling you until I could do it properly."

Akeginu just shook her head before she stared to smile, "Well it looks like the mission was a success, all the slavers are dead and with these arseholes showing up," she gave one of the corpses a kick, "the missing would probably upgraded to A rank. So not bad Naruto, but if you ever get distracted like that again I'll cut off you arm myself."

Naruto grimaced at that, "Don't worry it won't happen again." He'd make sure of it. Getting distracted by the state of the slaves had been sloppy, he never made the same mistake twice, he'd learn from this.

Naruto quickly walked over to his arm of the ground removed the glove and ebon ropes from this. The ropes took months and a lot of hard work to make, he wasn't just going to leave them lying around. He also sealed away the arm, he would destroy it at a later date.

"Alright let's head back,I want to hear about how you managed to gain the demons co-operation" said Akeginu.

"Hold it, we should let the slaves out," said Naruto. After going through so much trouble he wanted them free at least.

"Get to it then,"

They let the slaves out and left them to their own devices in the camp. There was enough food around and he was pretty sure the healthier ones could make it to one of the towns nearby for help.

All done the two ninja headed back to the ruins in the forest of death.

* * *

_**2 weeks later (day before graduation)**_

Naruto and Akeginu sat down in the courtyard of the ruins; they had just finished sparring and were cooling down.

"Are you ready for tomorrow Naruto?" Akeginu asked.

"Ready? Like I need to be ready to pass that test. I could do all those techniques six years ago. My clones going to do it anyway, no way I'm getting dressed up just for that."

"What's the plan afterwards? I don't want you showing off too much of your Iga techniques." Akeginu asked. This issue had been bothering her for some time; she didn't like the idea of Naruto being a Konoha ninja. Konoha was a weak village and Iga nin do not serve weak masters.

In her time Iga along with Kouga had served the Tokugawa Family, the strongest clan in Japan at the time. Hattori Hanzo the 1st had engineered their service to the clan after requesting assistance when Ieyasu was attacked while passing through the Iga province. Though they served with distinction the Iga clan was never really tamed by Tokugawa, and the man had always treaded carefully around Iga despite making use of our skills.

It wasn't surprising people from Iga always opposed those who tried to rule them; it was the natural order of things. They didn't bow to Oda Nobunaga when he came to bring them to heel. It had cost them but they survived, the mountains and valleys of Iga were perfect for hiding.** (5) **Perhaps that was why Ieyasu had them fight Kouga, to weaken and hopefully get rid of them once and for all, afraid the dog would turn on its master.

Naruto was Iga's legacy. The sole remaining descendant, he possessed their prized bloodline and had been schooled in the Iga ryu, even trained in their secret techniques. She did not want him at the beck and call of some pitiful village especially after the way they had treated him. That village was weak, a mere perversion of what it originally intended to be by its founders. The civilians had too much power, and politicians were poisoning the village's leadership. In truth the village needed to be cleansed or destroyed. There was no way she would let Naruto and Iga's legacy be wasted on them and this village.

No, despite being dead she knew the state of the world, it was a mess, similar to the waring states period back in Japan. There was no Shogun and tension was thick, all that was needed was a spark and war would erupt. In other words it was perfect soil to grow Iga's name once again.

For too long people had been ignorant of what a true shinobi could accomplish. Naruto would remind, he'd show them why Iga had been relegated to the darkness for centuries, why they had been regarded as monsters by the rest of Japan, he would show them to show what it really means to surpass human limitations. This worlds nin may have chakra but from she could tell none of them had really surpassed human limits with chakra use. **(7)**

Naruto started talking again drawing her out of her thoughts, "No doubt my change of clothes will raise a few eyebrows. I'm not too concerned though, once I'm a shinobi I'm beyond the purview of the council, only the Hokage can really order me to do anything. I actually read those books on civil governance you know"

"Make sure you don't reveal your eyes," she warned him, she could only imagine the reaction if they found about his bloodline.

"Of course I won't, I'm not an idiot sensei. I'll show off a little Kenjutus and taijutsu, maybe even my blood technique if the situation requires it. The rest I'll keep hidden for now."

"Are you sure you'll be able to get away with it?" She asked.

"Yep, unless they want to amend a whole bunch of rules they won't have a choice, they can't force a shinobi to show off secret techniques. I doubt the Nara, Aburame and Hyuga clans would take kindly to a free for all on their clans secret techniques," Naruto said with a smirk.

"The Hokage will want to know where you learnt those techniques," she said, she doubted the man was a fool.

"So I'll tell him."

Akeginu raised an eybrow at that.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Not the whole truth but enough for him to believe me. I can't lie to the man, he didn't become the strongest ninja in the village for nothing I'm sure he can spot a lie. So I'll tell him a relative trained me, its true after all."

"And when he asks to see this relative?" She asked.

"I'll tell him she's passed on. It's also true in a sense."

"Looks like you've got it under control," she said.

"He can't force me and he won't, he knows that if I don't want to be found no one will find me, even more so once he finds out I've been hiding my true abilities," don't be too concerned , if worse comes to worse we can always leave, they won't be able to stop us.

With that Naruto went off to bed, tomorrow would be an interesting day no matter how it played out.

* * *

_**Foot Notes:**_

_**(1) Essentially what Yashimaru uses to block/cut Shogun's spit in chapter 1/episode 1, only applied to 360 degrees. **_

_**(2) This is how the technique is described in the Kouga Ninja Scrolls opening chapter. According to the book it's the main advantage of the technique.**_

_**(3)And there it is Tenzen like regeneration, only more powerful. I know his injury was a little contrived but I wanted to show of his ability in practice. For those who haven't read Basilisk Tenzen could heal from any wound even fatal ones. The only way to kill him was to burn his entire body or use the mystic eyes. I made this healing more powerful drawing inspiration from Uliquerra from bleach. **_

_****__**(4) The book refers to the eyes as Basilisk eyes.**_

_**(5) Got the history from the book. Hattori Hanzo the 1**__**st**__** (father of the guy in Basilisk) who was from the Iga province arranged a truce between Kouga and Iga (blood feud was about 1000 years old in the book)and got them to save Ieyasu's life and serve him from them on. **_

_**(6) They talk about this a lot in the book, how Iga/Kouga nin surpassed human limitations essentially becoming monsters in pursuit of being the perfect ninja (result of a lot of inbreeding too, most looked hideous). Only ones in Naruto world who could be said to achieve this the Aktuski members like Kisame, Pein, Zetsu, Zombie guys and Ochominaru (or least he's working on becoming like that) . Like the Iga nin they sacrificed their humanity to become better ninjas.**_

* * *

_**Author's Notes**_

_**And with that we're done with the introductory arc to the story. Some people my think it was a bit long (30 000 plus words) or a bit slow but my Naruto is different form Canon, I wanted to show why he was different and build a strong foundation for him so people can understand his actions and skills in the future. Now that we're done we can move on to the start of canon. **_

_**Obviously my Kyuubi is very different from canon. I thought the Kyuubi in canon was too blunt, come to the dark side and i'll give you power etc. I'm going for a more subtle manipulation, she'll try and manoeuvre Naruto to fulfil her desires, but Naruto is smart so she'll have a tough time of it. Much more intelligence going on. I had a smarter Naruto so I needed a slyer fox.**_

_** This is not a fem kyuubi romance. The relationship will be about tension, power plays and manipulation. Each will be trying to get the advantage, eventually they'll form a mutual respect for one another. I chose a female Kyuubi because i'm basing their relationship off another i read recently. **__** For anyone who's read the Iron druid series , I'm going for a similar dynamic to the one the main character had with the Morrigan. For those who haven't read the series the main character has an agreement with the Celtic god/fae The Morrigan not to take him if he dies (making him semi-immortal, she the god of death), in return he sort of acts as her champion and does some odd jobs. He has to tread on glass around her because she's a bit whimsical and extremely powerful, while she finds the world more interesting with him in it. **__**Though if I'm true to the Morrigan comparison the Kyuubi would probably force herself on Naruto now and again (the morrigan practically rapes the guy several times in the series).**_

_**Power wise the Kyuubi will help with genjutsu down the line, for the moment only high speed regeneration.**_

_**Tune in next chapter for graduation, mizuki getting the crapped kicked out of him, and Naruto's new sensei . **_


	7. Chapter 7 - Graduation Night

_**Chapter 7 – Graduation Night**_

_**Hello! Tibo here.**_

_**It's**__** finally here — the start of canon, graduation, Naruto's reveal, actual plot progression. It only took close to 40,000 words to get there.**_

_**I've been getting a lot of questions so instead of answering all of them here and having a two thousand word chapter forward I**__**'ll put some information on my profile page**__**. Check it out for info on Naruto's techniques, his bloodline and any of the Basilisk characters. I also have my outline up on there as well.**_

_**I've also had some questions regarding Naruto and his reaction/attitude towards Konoha and Hiruzen, hopefully this chapter will answer some of those. **_

_**In response to some questions:**_

_**Mommerally: **__His attitude towards others will be relative. He won't have issues helping people who he respects and he will have some personal issues/relate to abused people similar to himself . Though most of the time he will try and maintain a detected objective attitude, particularly while working. No he won't be very trusting._

_Akeginu does have the strongest influence on him._

_I've been reading the book, Iga used a clan first policy, they were a pretty close __knit__ bunch (main reason most were disgusted by Oboro lack of will to fight)._

_He will be very ,very interested in Orochimaru._

_**Hakka the Great:**_

_I gave some thought to this before I started this __fic__, ultimately __I__ just prefer the cold personality over the emotional hate __filled__ one. Basilisk ninja were hateful (except Oboro/Gen) but hate is contextual and relative. In Basilisk it was a blood feud, that hate was ingrained over centuries in their respective clans culture. Each child was raised to hate the other clan and it was an endless __circle__ of hate. In this fic, both clans are long gone, __Naruto's__ only source of hate would be __his__ treatment in the village but although he does resent the village he's only had limited contact with the village since he was six therefore the village's influence over him is minimal. It's more of a general indifference now. The influence I referred to in last chapter was in reference to their approach to ninpo and war rather than their personalities._

[**Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Basilisk]**

* * *

_**Konoha Ninja Academy**_

"Alright Naruto, this is the last one. Do a bunshin," instructed Iruka-sensei. He was hoping Naruto could pull this off. Today was graduation day and this was the final test. Naruto had done well so far, but bunshin was by far his weakest technique.

"**Bunshin no jutsu!"** Naruto yelled.

There was a puff of smoke and once the smoke cleared there was a perfect clone of Naruto standing right next to him. Naruto smiled triumphantly at Iruka.

Iruka smiled right back at him, Naruto had finally done it. He had passed.

"Congratulations Naruto, you graduate," said Iruka, genuinely happy to finally give the boy some good news. Kami knows he could use it after failing the last two times. He never liked failing students, but they couldn't be allowed to be a shinobi if they couldn't complete the most basic of techniques. It was just too dangerous out much as he liked Naruto, the boy still had a lot to learn about being a ninja.

"Here's your Hitai-ate," said Iruka, handing Naruto the prized headband.

Naruto grinned and wrapped the headband around his head, "I told you I'm going to be Hokage Iruka-sensei. BELIEVE IT!" He screamed, finger pointed towards the sky.

Iruka sweat dropped at the boys antics. He felt sorry for whoever ended up as Naruto's sensei.

* * *

While Iruka was giving Naruto his headband he failed to notice Mizuki scowling behind him.

_How the hell __did__ the demon brat pass?_

Not only had he placed a subtle genjutsu on the written test, but the boy was a retard, he had never come close to completing a Bunshin before.

_Iruka must have noticed the genjutsu...I'll have to be more careful._

As Mizuki watched the scene with distaste, his mind was already at work, planning how to overcome this new obstacle.

He couldn't fail now.

* * *

After class most of the children were with the parents. As per usual Naruto remained of to the side alone, a stark reminder of the fact that he had no parents. On most days this would have brought a frown to his face but today nothing could wipe the smile from his face.

Mizuki approached the smiling Naruto who was happily sitting on a swing; it was time to set his plans in motion.

"Naruto, do you have a moment?" He asked.

"What is it sensei?" Naruto asked.

"I've got an extra test if you're interested, complete it and you'll get a _special reward,_ "said Mizuki.

"No thanks sensei, why would I want to do another test? I'm off to celebrate, RAMEN!" yelled Naruto before dispelling in a cloud of smoke.

"A clone?" Mizuki asked out loud, confused, he didn't see him make the seal.

_Tch, now I have to use the backup plan. The demon would have been the perfect scapegoat but this way is just as good, the demon probably would have failed anyway. This way I'll be in and out with the scroll before they even know it's me._

Mizuki walked off, intent to put the plan he'd spent years making into practice. He finally be able to leave this crappy village, they'd hold him back no longer. This is where he would make his name; tonight he would become famous.

* * *

Meanwhile back in the ruins of Iga Tsubagakure a different Naruto stood still, waiting patiently for his clone to dispel with news of his graduation. The difference between the two was significant to say the least. While the clone was short, standing barely over five feet tall this Naruto stood confidently at five foot four inches, about average height for his age.

He didn't wear bright orange, but a dark navy kosobe and hakama combination complete with distinctive long sleeves. He'd grown to fill out his clothes nicely over the years, though it was hard to tell just by looking at him. To most he would look quite skinny, but the appearance was deceptive. A trained eye would notice that there was plenty of muscle on his body, it was just lean and wiry. His body was built for speed, flexibility and acrobatics; there wasn't an ounce of bulk or wasted weight on it.

Unlike the clone he was noticeably pale, almost pure white,**(1)** a consequence of spending almost all his time underground. His eyes retained that ocean blue colour, but where the clone's eyes were simply striking his eyes were as cold as ice with a sharp, calculating gaze that attested to a cunning mind. The clone's trade mark spiky hair was also gone, instead the hair was grown out and tied back in loosely in a ponytail. The blonde hair and pale face would make him look stand out on the streets of Konoha, his appearance was similar to a native of Lightening country rather than Fire. His loose blonde bangs framed a handsome face that was starting to adopt the first lines of adulthood, losing some of the youthful roundness that characterized most youth. The only real similarity this Naruto shared with his clone was the whiskers marks on their cheeks.

Naruto had been thinking about his next course of action now that he was about to 'graduate' from the academy. Several weeks back he had officially completed his training in the Iga-ryu, and now he needed to decide what to do with himself. He knew he needed experience — losing his arm two weeks ago proved that. However, deciding how to go about getting that experience was the important element and the current source of his predicament. In reality there were only two options available, either become a Konoha shinobi or a missing nin.

The thought of becoming a village ninja and doing missions for the Hokage made him cringe a little inside. He wouldn't be caught dead doing a D rank mission. Why ninja were required to do things like fetching pets was beyond him. Should he remain in the village the clones would be doing any D rank missions he received.

The thought of working with his 'classmates' was also a little off-putting. Simply put, most of them were morons. The Nara boy had potential but would likely never reach it due to his prodigious laziness. Shino was all right, he was the only one who has his head in the right place, and those bugs of his had a variety of different tactical applications. He'd make a good ninja one day.

All the others though, shouldn't have been allowed to graduate. The dog kid was arrogant with absolutely no skill to back it up, that was a fatal weakness in this business. Not only do you not improve because you can't recognize and acknowledge your own weakness but you also tend to underestimate your opponents. Both those characteristics make arrogance a good way to get yourself killed. The Uchiha boy had similar issues, he may be the second most skilled after Naruto, though the gulf between them was so huge the boy may as well have been a civilian, but the boy had enough psych issues to sink a ship. Itachi had really done a number on the kids mind, how he'd been allowed to pass was beyond him. They may as well given a sharp knife to a mentally ill person; there was no way that was ending well.

_They really needed to introduce a standard psyche evaluation before letting people into the program. I wonder if I wrote a report__ about the problems within the academy,__ would the Hokage implement some of my ideas? _Naruto thought.

The kunoichi were even worse, atrocious would be an apt description. Not a single one had the skills or temperament to survive in the field. The pink one would likely get any team she was placed on killed because she was so ridiculously loud, not to mention incredibly weak. His clone had made it seem like he was actually interested in the girl, consequently the whole village seemed to think he had feelings for her. _Tch, asshole. My clone really did a number on me there_. He would have to correct that perception of him at the first available opportunity. The Yamanaka girl was no better; she was a disgrace to her clan and sex, fawning all over the Uchiha boy like she's incapable of intelligent thought. She was lucky Akeginu-sensei had never seen her, she would kill the girl on principle. The Hyuga girl was a peculiar case. She was shy to the point where it had become a weakness, however he could identify what was likely some ability based on genetics alone, only time would tell if she would continue to allow her timid nature to cripple her. He was quiet himself but her shyness would likely get her killed before she ever developed any strength.

Yep, most of his classmates would be dead by the end of the year, he was sure of it. He'd probably kill the pink haired one himself if she ever tried to hit him again.

The dismal state of his potential teammates aside, the second option was to just leave the village and become a missing nin. He had no particular loyalty to this village; in fact he had an intense dislike for it. However, though he would have the freedom to do what he wanted, he would be dodging hunter nin before he had sufficient experience to deal with them. It was risky to say the least, not to mention the village would react poorly to losing its jinchūriki. He'd be facing a severe deterioration in his circumstances should he be caught, and they weren't exactly ideal to begin with. No, he didn't like the idea of going missing nin without adequate experience, though he wouldn't rule it out in the future.

Either way he'd have to talk to the old man soon, and that meant revealing his true self. He wasn't totally against the idea but he was wary. He had enemies in this village as preposterous as that was, after all he' d practically been a recluse in these ruins these last ten years but apparently his mere existence offended certain people. The council, particularly those morons on the civilian council made up a number of those people. That meant he had enemies with political power; they would be a problem for him in the future. Though after he graduated, he technically answered to the Hokage and to a lesser extent the shinobi council, the civilian council still had influence. _Whose idea was it to give them a say in military matters anyway? It violates just about every military rule in existence. _Revealing himself to the Hokage was risky too, he couldn't predict how the man would react but he had a few different cards to play. He just had to find the right card and use it so the outcome benefited him the most.

He stopped thinking as thoughts and experiences came funneling back from his clone.

He gave his head a brief shake, he had graduated without issue but what was this, "Interesting, what you are up to Mizuki-_sensei_?" Naruto said that last word with a heavy dose of sarcasm. The man was a failure of a teacher; likely one of those fools who thought Naruto was a kitsune. He had been trying and to date successfully failing his clone for years. But what was the fool up too now? Was he trying to get him in trouble as payback for graduating? Or was it something more sinister?

"_**Follow him," **_said Kurama suddenly from out of nowhere.

"What?" Naruto asked, surprised at Kurama's instruction, she didn't speak unless she had something serious to say or to try and tempt him with something, usually sex. "Why?"

"_**He has a strange aura, something unnatural. Find out what it is," **_Kurama replied cryptically.

"What am I your errand boy?" Naruto asked, annoyed at the order. _Damn princess expects me to do everything she says. How the hell can she see his aura anyway? She still hadn't told him how she had access to __his__ sight, or if she was looking through his memories. He didn't like the idea of her playing around up there._

Kurama didn't reply, she had said her piece. He sighed; he'd do it anyway no matter how much he complained_, _she'd said enough to grab his attention. _Though I suspect she already knew that.. _he considered.

With a sigh he picked himself up of the ground, it looks like he'd be going on a field trip tonight. He was unaware that in his mindscape Kurama was smiling to herself as he prepared to follow her instruction.

Before leaving he made a stop over at his room to pick up a recent addition to his outfit. After last mission he had realized that his blonde hair was not only highly visible but a distinctive indicator as to his identity. Therefore he'd taken to wearing a hood and mantle. The hood and mantle were quite worn in appearance. He'd hacked the hood off a cloak he found and stitched it onto the mantle. The mantle itself had tattered ends from the adjustments he'd made with his katana. It was fairly long coming down to just below the middle of his forearm and across his chest. Both items were a dull charcoal in colour. Despite its haggard appearance Naruto liked it, the mantle obscured his form making it harder for people to read him while fighting. It also offered more freedom of movement than a full cloak. He also found that while wearing it he could go around the village unobstructed, a truly novel experience for him. The shadows of the hood also obscured his face, a person would have to be paying particular attention to him to spot the whisker marks. **(2)**

Fully dressed Naruto left the ruins with a body flicker intent on discovering what Mizuki was up to.

* * *

_**1:00am**_

_**Location: Forrest outside Konoha**_

Outside Konoha, deep within the surrounding forest two figures were talking heatedly.

"I planned on framing Naruto for this but the brat wasn't interested now that he finally graduated," said Mizuki to an injured Iruka.

Naruto looked down at the scene below him with interest. Iruka–sensei was lying on the ground badly injured, a shuriken by the looks of the wound, and Mizuki was currently making some egotistical speech instead of getting on with the job.

_What a tool, _thought Naruto. _I should kill him for that alone. _

Neither could sense him of course, he was well beyond their level these days.

"It's time to die Iruka. Just so you know I always hated you," said Mizuki after he finally finished gloating.

Naruto eyes narrowed at Mizuki's intentions. Iruka was one of the few who had managed to gain his respect by moving past the prejudices he had against him and making a genuine effort to teach his clone. Although his efforts may have been useless as his clone was programmed to be grossly incompetent, he appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

"Looks like it's time to act," Naruto murmured.

Just as Mizuki threw a kunai aimed at Iruka's heart Naruto appeared in between the two of them and brushed the kunai easily aside with the handle of his katana shocking both men.

Mizuki was the first to recover, "Who the hell are you?"

"What?" Naruto asked. "You don't recognize your own student Mizuki sensei." There was a distinct tone of humour in his voice. He had decided to reveal himself; killing Mizuki and then disappearing would just get him a bounty on his head and necessitate a change of outfits.

Mizuki frowned at that, he didn't know who the hell this kid was, it definitely wasn't one of the academy kids.

"Amusing, a simple change of clothes and no one recognizes me, not even you Iruka–sensei. Do I look so different without the orange?" Naruto asked, knowing full well the difference in appearance was staggering to say the least.

Mizuki looked a bit closer, peering in under the hood and spotted the whisker Marks. "Ha! It's only that baka Naruto. Hey Iruka, it looks like your favorite student has come to save you!" Mizuki exclaimed.

Naruto smiled at Mizuki's huge misread of the situation. It would cost the chunin dearly.

"Naruto you baka, what are you doing? Run!" Iruka yelled.

Naruto twitched at being called an idiot twice by two different people in the space of a few seconds. _Damn clone._ _Oh the prices we pay for anonymity. I'm probably going to have to kill a few people before everyone stops calling me that._

"Calm down scar face, no one's going anywhere," replied Naruto. He noticed Iruka twitch at his reference to his scar. _He he, right on the money._

"Hmm, so you've got some spine after all. How about it Naruto, I'll do you a favour, I'll tell you the truth about why no one likes you. Twelve years-"

"-If you're referring to the Kyuubi no Kitsune, it's hardly a secret that the thing was sealed inside me by the Yondaime. Practically the whole village knows," interrupted Naruto in a calm tone.

"_**Did you just call me a 'thing'?" **_Kurama asked, popping in to his mind. He ignored her; really, the fox had no sense of timing.

Both chūnins were shocked that Naruto knew the secret. Naruto just waited, wondering whether he should kill Mizuki while the man was standing there looking like an idiot.

"Heh, so the demon's finally regained consciousness? That'll make killing you all the more sweet," said Mizuki finally getting over his surprise.

"I knew you were idiot Mizuki, but the fact that you seem to think I'm a ninety foot kitsune suggests I'm still overestimating your intellect," Naruto replied.

Iruka was just watching the scene perplexed, who was this Naruto? He was dressed like an ANBU or a hunter nin and was speaking words with more than two syllables. It was completely different from how Naruto usually acted; there was an aura of danger practically dripping off him. Mizuki hadn't noticed but then again Iruka was always more perceptive than his fellow teacher turned traitor. Iruka knew you could only get a presence like that from experience, and not just training experience. Naruto had definitely killed before.

"I mean, the fact that I'm having this rather unenlightened conversation with you instead of tearing you limb from limb should tell you that I'm a container for the fox rather than the fox itself. It's Fūinjutsu 1-0-1. They should knock you back to genin for that mistake," mocked Naruto.

Sick of being insulted Mizuki resorted to the only option his mind could think of, "Die, demon!"

With that Mizuki threw barrage of shuriken at Naruto intent on killing him.

"Run Naruto!" yelled Iruka.

Instead of running Naruto drew his katana and effortlessly proceeded to knock down each and every shuriken with the flat of his blade. It took less than a second.

"You're going to have to do better than that Mizuki," said Naruto, a slight smirk appearing on his face.

Mizuki and Iruka were shocked for the third time in as many minutes. Naruto had just blocked a barrage of shuriken with a simple wave of his sword, the skill and coordination required to do that was amazing. Mizuki managed to collect himself first and pulled a giant shuriken from his back.

Naruto just stared at the thing; it was ridiculously big, he couldn't think of a more impractical weapon.

Iruka watched in horror. "Naruto! Be careful that's Mizuki's signature technique."

"He's a chūnin scar face, he doesn't have a signature technique," replied Naruto sounding bored at what was happening. So far he hadn't seen any reason why the Kyuubi would tell him to investigate, she'd better have not been wasting his time.

"_**Just be patient, **__**you will see,**__**" **_commented the Kyuubi. At least she wasn't doing a running commentary of the fight like she had taken to doing while he sparred with his sensei; he didn't need to know that she thought his dodge was clumsy while avoiding a sword to the face.

So, he ignored her and waited for Mizuki to throw the damn shuriken, he was taking all night.

After what seemed like ages to Naruto, Mizuki whipped around in a spin and launched the oversized shuriken at Naruto. The giant shuriken hurtled end over end towards Naruto faster than the eye could track.

"Dodge Naruto!" Iruka yelled hoping that the boy would move in time but knowing there was know way he'd be able to dodge that attack from Mizuki.

Instead of dodging, Naruto just stood still and watched the shuriken move towards him, it might as well have been in slow motion. He was used to fighting at much faster speeds. He channeled some wind chakra onto his katana, raised his swords with two hands and met the shuriken head on, cutting it in half with a single diagonal slash.

Once again both men were left in shock by Naruto's display.

"Is throwing shuriken your only ninja skill Mizuki? Because its not very impressive," Naruto quipped.

Mizuki howled in anger at Naruto's remark.

_Looks like I hit the mark there. You'd think he'd at least attach some explosives seals to them… moron._

Mizuki ripped part of his chunin vest off to reveal a seal on his right shoulder.

Now that got Naruto interested. He had an interest in Fūinjutsu, and he knew that seals could be incredibly powerful. He had become quite good at it so he noticed immediately that the seal was complex, and had some sort of dark power associated with it. _Now where did he get that? Its well beyond his skill to make_ wondered Naruto. **(3)**

"_**Told you so," **_interrupted a smug Kurama.

"Try blocking this demon!" Mizuki yelled as he placed his hand on the seal to activate it and… nothing happened, instead Mizuki felt an excruciating pain from the seal. He dropped to the ground on his knees clutching the seal, which felt like it was burning deep into his skin.

Naruto smiled, he didn't know what that seal did but he had no intention of letting Mizuki use it. No matter how strong the seal was it was no match for his mystic eyes. Even the seal on his own stomach would fail if he used a mirror with his eyes. The mystic eyes' power of negation was absolute.

Naruto walked over and picked up the forbidden scroll that Mizuki had dropped while fighting. He opened it and laughed, "Idiot, didn't you even know what scroll you were stealing? Its just a basic bunshin." In fact it was the old scroll Naruto had replaced the Shadow Bunshin scroll with.

_An odd coincidence?_

Mizuki looked furious, all that work and he had been ousted as a traitor for nothing.

Naruto looked over to Mizuki's kneeling figure and asked him, "Who gave you that seal?"

He got no answer, getting annoyed Naruto repeated the question in a firmer tone, "I asked you a question . You're too stupid to create something as complex as that seal. Who's holding your leash dog?"

Mizuki reacted poorly to being called a dog. _He has __thin__ skin for someone who goes around calling other people a demon, _thought Naruto.

Enraged at that remark and despite the pain Mizuki dived at Naruto lashing out with a kunai. Naruto easily sidestepped the attack and drew his blade down across Mizuki's back, cutting shallowly into his spine. He cut just deep enough to sever some spinal cords in Mizuki's lower back making sure to avoid damaging the kidneys, he needed information not a corpse. Thanks to all those anatomy books he read over the years he knew unless Mizuki got help from a highly skilled medial nin he would never walk again. With a cry of pain Mizuki collapsed to the ground now paralyzed from the waist down.

Naruto frowned at the pathetic figure on the ground before him; this was who Konoha had chosen to teach their youth, it was disgusting. It was time to get that information, he wasn't an expert but he knew how to conduct an improvised interrogation. Picking up Mizuki he dragged him to a nearby tree and slammed him into it with a great deal of force. Grabbing both Mizkui's hands he pinned them together above his head, then without any hesitation he drew a kunai and drove it through both of Mizuki's hands, nailing them to the tree.

Mizuki let out a deafening scream as the weapon passed through flesh and bone and into the tree.

Naruto just watched him passively, waiting for the screaming to die down. He almost felt sympathy for him, almost. It must be extremely painful, not only did the kunai break bone but also gravity was now trying to drag Mizuki's body to the ground forcing more pressure to be placed on the kunai and thereby the wound.

"One more time, who gave you that seal? Who ordered you to steal the scroll?" Naruto asked, making it clear things would only get worse for Mizuki unless he told him what he wanted to know.

Receiving no response, Naruto sighed and drew his katana again, this was going to get messy. Not wanting to waste any more time Naruto drove his katana into the nerve cluster in Mizuki's right shoulder.

Mizuki screamed twice as loud as he did before as the nerves in his shoulder flared in pain. Naruto then twisted the katana causing Mizuki to scream again in agony.

"Feel like answering my question? I suggest you tell me before I start on your eyes," threatened Naruto.

"O-orochimaru," squeaked Mizuki between deep breaths. In addition to bleeding, he was sweating profusely and his body was shaking — symptoms of shock.

_The snake sannin? Interesting, _Naruto thought. It wasn't too surprising that the S rank missing nin had spies in Konoha, what interested Naruto was Orochimaru skill with seals. But he doubted Mizuki could shed any more light on the subject. If the man thought he was the Kyuubi then he obviously knew next to nothing about seals.

With a sigh Naruto withdrew his katana from the man's shoulder. Mizuki whimpered as the blade slid out of his flesh. With one last look at Mizuki Naruto slashed his katana across Mizuki's wrists cutting straight through the bone. Mizuki dropped like a heavy sack to the ground with yet another scream. His hands remained nailed to the tree no longer attached to his wrists.

"That was for throwing all those shuriken at me," said Naruto. He didn't do it to be cruel, well for the most part anyway. Such things were a waste of effort, no with that act Mizuki would never throw another shuriken. Even if his paralysis were miraculously healed he'd never be a threat to anyone ever again.

Naruto looked over at Iruka-sensei who appeared to be in shock. He was lying up against a tree mouth agape as he stared back and forth between Naruto and Mizuki's tortured body. Naruto didn't know if the shock was from his injuries or seeing his former student torture his former friend. He supposed that would be a distressing to the average human.

_It's probably a bit of both, _thought Naruto.

"Neko-san!" Naruto called out to the ANBU who had been watching in the trees.

As soon as he said the name, an ANBU wearing the cat mask appeared in front of him.

"Iruka needs medical attention and Mizuki has an appointment with T & I. Do you mind taking care of it?" Naruto asked.

Two more ANBU appeared out of thin air and picked up Iruka with the intent of taking him to the hospital.

"Wait!" Iruka called out. He walked over to Naruto and put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you Naruto, you saved my life tonight."

"Don't worry about it Iruka sensei, I'm sure you would have done the same if our positions had been reversed," Naruto replied

With that the ANBU grabbed Iruka and took him to the hospital.

"You want to carry that, Neko-san?" Naruto asked pointing to Mizuki whimpering form on the ground. He had his handless arms wrapped around his body in the fetal position, he was shaking pretty badly. "He'll bleed out if you don't stem the bleeding."

"I'll take care of him, the Hokage will want to debrief you personally, Uzumaki-san," said Neko-san. She would have liked to be in on that conversation, but business came first. She had heard what Mizuki said, if Orochimaru was involved then they needed to act fast.

"I know, I'll head straight there," said Naruto glancing briefly to the sky. With that he and Neko — carrying Mizuki — used shun shin to take them both to the Hokage tower.

Arriving at the tower Neko told Naruto to go inside while she took Mizuki to Torture & Interogation, the night was only just beginning for the traitor.

"See you around Neko-san." said Naruto as he headed into the tower to have a talk with the old man.

* * *

The Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his room trying to process what he just saw. Mere minutes ago he had looked on through his crystal ball in shock as his surrogate grandson comfortably bested Mizuki and proceeded to torture him in an extremely brutal manner. He had to admit it was crude but effective, Naruto had efficiently dealt with the threat and then began extracting information from said threat. The abilities Naruto displayed were raising all manner of questions in his mind, and then there was his former student, "Orochimaru." he said to himself. Tonight it seemed his past mistakes were finally coming back to haunt him.

He was too old for all this shit.

He looked up as he heard Naruto arrive outside his room with a shunshin. _So he knows that technique too. I wonder who has been teaching him. Whoever it is they're very good, __I doubt anyone other than myself or Jiraiya could have trained Naruto so well.__ Naruto was displaying skill that a person his age shouldn't have. Was Naruto another genius like Itachi or Kakashi?_

He was brought out of his thoughts by a knock on the door.

"Enter," he ordered.

Naruto entered and Sarutobi had his first the chance to view this 'new' Naruto in person. He was taller than before and looked very fit. He walked differently too. He moved with confidence, like someone who had decades of martial arts training. Gone was the orange jumpsuit he was used too seeing Naruto wear, replaced with dark shinobi clothes and a hood. Hanging front his hip was the katana he had so expertly wielded moments ago. What was most confronting and different from the usual Naruto was his eyes. They may have been the same shade of ocean blue but this Naruto's eyes couldn't have been more different. Naruto usually looked at him with admiration whereas this Naruto's eyes were ice cold and were looking at him as if they were assessing him.

"Send the ANBU outside," said Naruto curtly.

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at the order. "Why?" He asked while also noting that Naruto had no trouble sensing them, something no genin should be able to do.

"They have proven… less than reliable as far as my wellbeing is concerned. I'd rather keep this conversation between us." explained Naruto.

Sarutobi gave a small nod of the head to indicate he agreed with Naruto, while he may not like it Naruto spoke the truth. He was sorely disappointed in the ANBU who he had relied on to keep Naruto safe; all but a few had proven unreliable. He noticed several of the ANBU present flinch at Naruto's accusation.

With a sigh he made a hand signal and the ANBU retreated out of the room. He put up a silencing seal so the conversation would be private.

When they had left Naruto greeted him, "Old man."

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed, not in reaction to Naruto calling him 'old man', Naruto always called him that, but to the way Naruto said it. Normally Naruto would call him 'old man' as a term of endearment; however this Naruto said it differently. Not in a mocking manner but like an observation; that he was old and he was a man, it was unnerving.

He took a deep breath, "It's been a while Naruto." He had quickly deduced what Naruto had been doing over the years, he wasn't known as the Professor for nothing, but how did he get his hands on a shadow clone technique? That was a kinjutsu, had whoever's been training him taught him it? If so, then it was ingenious, with Naruto gigantic chakra reserves he could use that kinjutsu without concern. It would also go some way to explaining Naruto's level of skill.

"Oh, you knew?" Naruto asked curiously.

"No, I just figured it out right now. I noticed when you used to use a henge all those years ago, what were you eight or nine? Needless to say I never really believed you were an idiot after that, though I never suspected such a drastic change. How long have you been hiding Naruto?"

"Since I was six," replied Naruto, there was no point in lying about it.

"Six!" He had underestimated Naruto; he figured that Naruto might have reacted like this after his treatment at the academy, that he had chosen to hide his true skills, but six! That means Naruto was hiding even before he had started using the henge, how had he missed it?

"Why?" Sarutobi asked.

Naruto just gave him a look that suggested his question was stupid, which it was, he already knew the answer; this village had not been kind to Naruto. It wasn't a stretch to believe that Naruto would be paranoid about the village's reaction to his talents considering the treatment he already received when he posed no threat at all.

"This village may as well have been hostile territory for me old man. A little deception with a henge or clone is much better than a pile of bodies. Surely you agree? You know as well as I do that's what it would've come to if people knew I could protect myself," explained Naruto. "I wasn't getting much help from you so I had to take matters into my own hands."

He flinched at what Naruto was accusing him of. As much as he wanted to deny it he couldn't, it was the truth. Naruto had every right to be angry with him, as he had pointed out he hadn't been much assistance over the years.

Following the Kyuubi attack no one would take the boy. Jiraiya had left the village almost immediately and he himself had been too busy with the rebuilding. Furthermore because he had to keep the identity of Naruto's parents a secret, none of his parent's friends were interested in taking the boy.

Then there was the council. They had made sure he couldn't lift a finger to help the boy. They might not have much decision making power when it came to military matters, but they could sure has hell make life tough for a civilian.

He'd been forced to put Naruto in an orphanage and that had been about the worst mistake he could've made. The boy had barely survived living there before being turned out on the streets to live by himself for two years. The worse part was that he wasn't even aware how bad it was until several years those early years he had been far, far too busy rebuilding the village to see Naruto regularly.

He had placed the administrators of that orphanage in prison for the next thirty years, but that hadn't undone the damage. The incident also meant that some of the ANBU he'd assigned to watch Naruto had being misleading to him; needless to say there were a few less ninja in the service after that. After that he had paid for an apartment for the boy regardless of the fuss the council kicked up about wasting village resources on a 'demon brat'.

The simple truth, however, was that he had failed Minato and Naruto in more ways than one. His duty as Hokage was to protect the citizen's of this village and he had clearly failed to do that with Naruto. He knew any excuse he could come would sound hollow to Naruto's ears. The fact was that instead of being treated with respect for his sacrifice he had been made a scapegoat.

"Yes, you're quite right Naruto, I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you, and I can only apologize for the actions of the villagers," he said solemnly, knowing that the apology would likely matter little to Naruto.

"Words are cheap old man, actions speak louder. If you're really sorry you'll stop keeping secrets from me," replied Naruto, his tone adopting a colder inflection.

He flinched. _How__ many secrets did Naruto already know?_

"How long have you known about the fox?" Sarutobi asked. He was surprised that Naruto knew of the Kyuubi yet showed no signs or corruption or having used the tainted chakra.

"For some time. My sensei told me. Unlike you, she thought I had the right to know I was host to a demon," said Naruto's, his tone becoming a bit more hostile.

"I'm sorry Naruto I wanted you to grow up like a normal child," explained Sarutobi while also wondering about this sensei of Naruto's.

"Bullshit. You ruined any chance of me having a normal childhood when you told the entire village that I was the container for the Kyuubi," Naruto replied heatedly.

Sarutobi could only hang his head in shame, his head dropping a little lower with every word Naruto said. He couldn't rebuke Naruto, what he was saying was the truth. Minato wanted his son to be treated like a hero but the very opposite had happened, "I'm sorry Naruto, if I had my time again I would have done things differently. This isn't the first mistake I've made and it probably won't be the last." He couldn't help but think of his former student.

"I don't really care old man, the past is of no consequence, what matters is the present. You owe me some answers," Naruto said, directing the Hokage's thoughts back to the original accusation; he had been keeping secrets, as in more than one.

"Damn it Naruto! Secrets are dangerous, I didn't tell you them for a reason."

"Really, I hadn't noticed. Do you even know how many times I had to eat of of garbage cans because I couldn't get any food, or how many times I was beaten for wandering iinto the wrong area of the village. That's what happens when you tell everyone _my secret_," said Naruto.

With a sigh he concede to Naruto, "What do you want to know?"

"You can start with my parents, I know you know who they are," said Naruto.

Naruto was already chūnin level and definitely seemed mature enough._I'm sorry Minato, I'll have to tell him about his heritage._

"Naruto, your parents were Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki," said Sarutobi.

He noticed that Naruto didn't seem surprised. He just put his hand on his chin as if thinking. The old Naruto would have been jumping around at the fact that his hero was his father.

Instead Naruto asked, "What can you tell me about my mother?"

"She was a strong shinobi known as the Red Hoot-Blooded Habanero. She had a loud personality, much like your clone and was the village's expert in Fūinjutsu." He noticed Naruto eyes brighten briefly at the mention of Fūinjutsu.

The Hokage took a deep breath, he'd have to take a leap of faith with the next detail, he doubted lying to Naruto any further would work out well for Konoha, "Your mother was also a container for the Kyuubi."

Naruto's eyes widened at that detail, it looked like Hokage had finally managed to surprise him with something. Up till know it seemed to Sarutobi that everything he said Naruto had expected or already knew.

Naruto started laughing, "Ha, and here I was thinking that my opinion of this village couldn't get any lower. Tell me old man, how many jinchūriki have there been for the Kyuubi?"

"You're the third Naruto; the Shodai's wife was also one. She was an Uzumaki too."

"And were either of them treated as I was?" Naruto asked.

"No." replied Sarutobi.

"Figures. So why shouldn't I just get up and leave this village? It's clear I'm not welcome, I don't see much reason for me to stay." Naruto asked.

Sarutobi eyes widened in surprise at that, _Damn, I've been thinking of him as the clone, not as a stranger._

"Naruto don't you want to be Hokage?" Sarutobi asked hoping for a 'yes'.

"Why would I want to protect people who hate me? It's illogical," Naruto replied calmly as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Sarutobi feared as much, this Naruto was much more rational than the clone, in his mind this village didn't deserve his protection. Nevertheless he had no intention of letting Naruto leave, "You'd be a missing nin Naruto, that's no life to live."

"So what, I've been hunted by Konoha nin before." said Naruto.

Saurtobi flinched at that, "Naruto please, don't make me have ANBU arrest you." He wouldn't do it but the threat might get Naruto to reconsider.

"Ha, wouldn't that be symbolic, the final nail in the coffin of the Yondaime Hokage's legacy. I wonder what would happen if I die, would the Kyuubi be released?"

"Enough Naruto! No one's dying today," said Sarutobi firmly, Naruto had made his point. His ploy had failed and he had no intention of this situation deteriorating any further.

"Did my parents leave me anything?" Naruto asked, suddenly changing the topic and drawing a little bit of the tension out of the conversation.

"I'm sorry Naruto, your parents house was destroyed in the Kyuubi attack, there was nothing left,"replied Sarutobi.

"That's a shame, I would have been interested in finding out how my mother handled the Kyuubi."

"I know she used chakra chains, and fuinjutsu, but she had special chakra. I don't know if you have the same, a lot of that knowledge came from the extinct Uzumaki clan and is now lost," Sarutobi informed Naruto.

"Extinct?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, they were feared because of their fuinjutsu skills. In the second shinobi war they were wiped out."

"So I really am the last Uzumaki," said Naruto.

Sarutobi nodded his head; the loss of that clan had been a dark day for the ninja world. Shaking off the dark thoughts he found himself looking at Naruto's katana, "Naruto, do you mind telling me where you learned kenjutsu?" This was the question he wanted answered the moment he saw Naruto fight.

Naruto took a moment to consider before replying, "A relative, her name was Akeginu."

"Relative?" Sarutobi asked, _an Uzumaki? _Had he been mistaken, it was possible that a few had survived and where not in Whirlpool during the invasion.

"Mm hm, she was quite a talented shinobi before she passed on."

_Passed on? _That got his attention, "She died?"

"Yes ,she's been dead for some time now. She taught me a lot though, made sure my fundamentals were strong so I could teach myself if needed," responded Naruto. "My taijutsu and basic shinobi skills are also very high. I even know a little Fūinjutsu too."

Sarutobi listened in interest nodding his head as Naruto explained his skills. A solid foundation and a well-rounded education it seemed. It would make accessing harder techniques much easier in the future for him. This 'Akeginu' seemed to have been a good teacher to him, but the question remained, who was she? "Was she an Uzumaki too?" Sarutobi asked.

Naruto shrugged. "She never called herself an Uzumaki, but she did say she was from the same clan as me," Naruto replied.

It sounded right, if Naruto had been taught from age six it would explain why he was so competent, though he would still have to be a prodigy to be able to best a chūnin at his age. However, he didn't think Naruto was giving him the whole story, bits weren't adding up.

"Why did you fail twice?" Sarutobi asked, it seemed unnecessary.

"You mean apart from the fact my teachers sabotaged every test I did?" Naruto quipped.

Sarutobi clenched his fist in anger at that, there was going to be a serious review of the teaching standards at that academy. Not only did they put Naruto's life at risk but also any one of his future teammates.

"The truth is I could have passed the graduation test by the end of my first year, but I didn't want to risk the same thing happening after I graduated. I would rather train myself than waste time on a sensei that would sabotage my training or just ignore me for the other team members. If I entered the field with a sensei like that I probably would have died. So I waited until I thought I was good enough to survive out in the world without a sensei before I passed the test to become a ninja," Naruto explained.

After he had finished talking Naruto pulled out the Leaf headband from his top and held it up, "So once again, why should I wear this? The village has treated me like crap, and disrespected my parents. It doesn't give me much motivation to protect them."

"Life's hard as a missing nin Naruto, you'd be dodging bounty hunters your whole life. Isn't there anyone you want to protect here?" Sarutobi asked, hoping Naruto had made at least some friends over the years.

Naruto thought for a moment before replying, "I could think of a couple of people, but I think they'd do fine without me."

"Naru-"

"-Look, my only concern at the moment is my progression as a shinobi. If you can convince me that staying in this village would make me a better shinobi then I'll commit to the village and complete whatever missions you give me to the best of my ability. Who knows, maybe in time you can convince me why this village is worth protecting. Now, let's start with training, who do you have picked out as my teacher?" Naruto asked.

Sarutobi took a moment to consider. His previous squad placement would no longer be satisfactory. He'd intended for Naruto to be placed in Team 7 with Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno under Kakashi but after tonight that wouldn't work. The boy was far too skilled to be put in any of the genin teams; he'd unbalance whatever team he was placed with. The other members would either slow him down which would frustrate Naruto or they'd end up relying on him all the time which would stifle their development. He also had doubts about Kakashi's effectiveness as a teacher as well. No doubt he would focus on Sasuke seeing a little of himself in the boy, not to mention reminding him of Obito. That wouldn't be in line with Naruto's 'condition that he make him 'a better shinobi'. Also, Kakashi had never shown much of an interest in Naruto before.

That only left him with one option, an option that hadn't been used for quite some time. He was hesitant to do it but he really had no choice, if he wanted Naruto to stay in the village willingly he needed someone to train Naruto to be stronger. The last time he had done this it had worked out terribly for Anko, he could only hope that it would work out better this time. Naruto would be an apprentice.

Apprenticeships were usually only used for genin with exceptionally unique skills or because a sensei specifically asked for it. The last had been Orochimaru who had taken Anko on as an apprentice. Sarutobi thought that tonight's events could be judged as exceptional enough to warrant an apprenticeship.

Now, who to pick as Naruto's sensei? This was important, he needed someone trustworthy, someone who wasn't from a major clan or indebted to the council. He didn't need them reporting to the council on Naruto's new or rather his unusual skill. They also needed to be able to improve on the skills Naruto already had. The way things were going Naruto would see no reason to stay in the village, hopefully partnering with someone he would respect could change that. Naruto needed to start forming roots here, if he'd been using clones to interact with people he likely wasn't friends with anyone his age.

With Naruto's sword skill Hayate would have been ideal but his health was acting up again. That left Uzuki Yugao, the only problem was she was currently in ANBU. He could trust the woman though, early on in her career she had watched over Naruto and was one of the few to do her job properly. Maybe he could get Jiraiya to show Naruto some Fūinjutsu or his father's jutsu next time he was in town as well.

His decision made, he called out, "ANBU!"

Several ANBU appeared in the room, "Go get me Neko. She is currently down in T & I."

With that they left immediately to take care of the task.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow, "Neko, the ANBU?"

Sarutobi explained, "Originally I had you in team 7 with Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno under Kakashi Hatkete, but given what I've seen tonight Uzuki Yugao is the better choice, she's an expert in kenjutsu."

Naruto grimaced when Sarutobi mentioned team 7; it looks like he had made the right choice in changing the team allocation.

"We'll do it as an apprenticeship, you and Yugao will be the only team members. That way she can focus solely on your training. You can trust her, she's one of my most trusted operatives," said Sarutobi.

Naruto merely responded with, "We'll see."

When he finished Naruto wrapped the headband around his left bicep.

Saruobi smiled as he put on the Hitai-ate.

"Oh, this is yours." said Naruto as he threw the scroll Mizuki had to the Sarutobi.

Sarutobi opened it and frowned, so Naruto was telling Mizuki the truth earlier, it was just a bunshin, "Naruto why was a Bunshin scroll in the room with the sealed scrolls?"

"Maybe someone put it there?" replied Naruto with a knowing smile.

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed it couldn't have been, could it? "Naruto?" He asked in a firmer tone.

"It was surprisingly easy."

"But that was years ago, you would have been what? Ten?" Sarutobi asked, incredulous that a ten year old could avoid ANBU and himself.

"About that, it was a test, which I passed with flying colours."

Sarutobi couldn't believe this, he'd spent weeks worrying about the fallout from that night, and here Naruto tells him that it was just a test of his skills.

"As I recall you fell for that henge of my sensei," Naruto said in amusement.

Sarutobi shivered as thought about the henge Naruto had used, that was his sensei! He cursed, Naruto you lucky bastard.

"I still have the scroll if you want it back," offered Naruto.

He nodded his head, "Yes, it's for the best."

"I've also got some other things you may be interested in…"

* * *

Meanwhile Yugao arrived at the headquarters of the Torture and Interrogations Division with an unconscious Mizuki; he had passed out from the pain a few minutes ago. To prevent him from dying Yugao had wrapped his wrists and back with a quick bandage, but he really needed medical treatment.

Anko Mitarashi and Ibiki Morino were both there waiting for her. Someone had also sent for Inoichi Yamanaka but he hadn't arrived yet. This was big; anything involving the traitor Orochimaru was like wild fire.

Anko and Ibiki just stared at her as Yugao dumped Mizuki's butchered body on the ground in front of them.

"Wow, someone sure did a number on him," remarked Anko. She actually looked a bit excited at all the blood.

Ibiki just raised an eyebrow at the state of the suspect.

"It was an on sight interrogation," Yugao said, answering the silent question.

Ibiki was curious, "His hands were cut off as part of an interrogation?"

Yugao shook her head, "No, that happened afterwards. Mizuki was pinned to a tree with kunai and then had a katana shoved in the nerves of his shoulder and twisted."

Anko smiled, nodding her head,"Brutal, I like it." She had a similar style of interrogation; it involved lots and lots of blood.

Ibiki just shrugged he didn't care as long as it worked, though he preferred to use drugs, "What'd you get out of him?"

Yugao shook her head again thinking this was going to be fun, "I didn't get anything out of him; it was a genin who did this."

Two pairs of eyes widened in shock. Yugao smiled it wasn't every day you got to see that expression on Ibiki's face. Of course who wouldn't be surprised, it wasn't every day that a genin beat a chūnin to within an inch of his life.

"Who? Who?" Anko asked excitedly, now even more interested in this unnamed interrogator.

"Naruto Uzumaki," answered Yugao, or at least she thought it was Naruto, had she not seen his whisker marks she would have not believed it.

Both of them were silent for a second; that certainly was not the answer they expected.

After about twenty seconds of continued silence Anko asked in confusion, "The blonde idiot?" _Was Yugao pranking her?_

Yugao smirked, tonight's events made it clear he was certainly no idiot, "He's no idiot. He arrived just before I did, in fact I didn't even sense him until he appeared and stopped Mizuki from killing Iruka."

Anko and Ibiki were even more shocked at that fact, how could an ANBU member not sense a genin?

Yugao herself had been amazed and intrigued at the skill Naruto displayed. "He blocked Mizuki's shuriken attacks with his katana like it was nothing and even cut Mizuki's giant shuriken in half using a jōninlevel kenjutsu technique. He then attacked Mizuki and cut his spine paralyzing him."

"Wow, he paralyzed him as well," Anko said, impressed. She took another look at Mizuki, "Where the hell did the gaki learn to use a sword like that, kenjutsu was only taught at the academy in Kirigakure not Konoha, right?"

Yugao just shook her head in response, she had no idea, but she had every intention of finding out who taught Naruto kenjutsu. Maybe Naruto could even show her a few moves.

"That's not all; Mizuki had a seal like yours Anko, only it didn't work for some reason. Mizuki confessed to Naruto that Orochimaru put the steal on him and ordered him to steal the scroll," said Yugao explaining why they were all here.

Anko clenched her fist in anger at the mention of her former teacher's name. It looked like her bastard of a former sensei was up to something again. The bastard always had some sort of plan in motion. Every time she thought of him the seal he had planted on her would start to throb painfully. She unconsciously touched her seal when Yugao said his name.

Yugao seeing Anko touching her seal decided to move on, "Anyway, Iruka is fine thanks to Naruto and Naruto went to go see the Hokage. The Hokgage wants you two to finish the interrogation and find out everything Mizuki knows about Orochimaru."

A cruel smile appeared on Anko's face; she was going to enjoy this even more than she usually did.

Ibiki just nodded his head, and picked up Mizuki before dragging him off for the interrogation.

"Hey Yugao, tell the gaki that was some nice work," said Anko before turning to follow Ibiki.

As soon as they left an ANBU appeared beside Yugao and told her to report to the Hokage office.

* * *

Yugao appeared outside the Hokage's door shortly after the ANBU had contacted her. Entering the room she saw Naruto sitting down in a chair talking to the Hokage about something. Her eyes sharpened a little and she got prepared, those two looked they were up to something.

"-So then I killed him and freed the slaves," said Naruto.

Yugao sweat dropped at the conversation she just walked in on. The boy was talking about killing someone like it was a stroll in the park.

"You know Naruto, Aoi had a substantial bounty on his head, if you had his body I could have paid you," said the Hokage.

Naruto smiled, pulled out a seal and opened it. Yugao's eyes opened wide in surprise as a head tumbled out onto the Hokage's desk.

"There you go old man, I could really use the money," said Naruto as if dropping heads on the Hokage's desk was commonplace. The Hokage just shook his head in amusement.

"Still I'm impressed a chunin is one thing but Aoi was a B rank Jōnin," commented the Hokage.

Yugao's eyebrows shot up under her mask, the kid had killed a jōnin?

"Don't read too much into it, he wasn't that impressive. He was too arrogant, didn't treat me as a threat and paid for it," Naruto explained, downplaying his accomplishment.

"Still, Aoi's presence bumps that mission up to A rank. The pay on a solo A rank mission is quite high these days. I know you weren't a shinobi when you did it but I'll put it in your file as an official mission so you can get paid. It makes the village look good as well."

Yugao really wished she been here for the start of the conversation. Naruto's skills must be even higher than she estimated if he could complete a solo A rank mission.

"This might interest you," said Naruto as he pulled out another scroll. As he unsealed it Yugao's jaw almost hit the floor. It was Raijin no Ken the sword of the Nidaime Hokage! Yugao was a bit of a sword nut; though she'd deny it in public and kill anyone who suggested it. How the hell did the kid get a hold of that?!

The Hokage just looked on in amazement as Naruto handed him the sword.

After a minute of stunned silence the Hokage said, "I'm surprised you didn't want to keep it yourself."

Naruto shrugged, "Nah, it's a bit too flashy more my tastes. Besides if I started swinging that around people would accuse me of stealing it."

Yugao was speechless, she was about to speak up, maybe ask for a closer look at the legendary sword when the Hokage noticed her, "Good, you're here."

Yugao assumed a kneeling position quickly, waiting for her orders.

"Relax Neko, I have a proposition for you," said the Hokage, "Young Naruto here is far more talented than the rest of his graduating class, since Naruto uses kenjutsu I was going to ask you if you would take him as an apprentice."

Yugao was stunned; she had been expecting to just give her report on tonight's events, not a job offer. Considering the offer she would be lying if she said she wasn't interested in the boy's skills. While fighting Mizuki he had shown an extremely high level of skill for someone so young, much better than she was at the same age. She might even be able to learn something from him as well. On the other hand she didn't want to damage her ANBU career but since this was a personal request from the Hokage she couldn't really refuse. In fact it would probably help her career by doing him a personal favor; she knew he liked the boy.

"I'll do it, Hokage-sama," she replied.

"Good, then that's settled. Take off your mask Neko, I'll introduce you to your new student," said the Hokage.

Yugao took off her mask and turned to face Naruto who was looking at her inquisitively, like he was sizing her up.

She did the same now that she could get a better look at him. The boy was a looker. Pale skin, long blonde hair and those eyes…he'd be fending off women by the droves when he's older, maybe even now. She knew a few kunoichi who'd take a closer than customary look at him now that he's a shinobi, Anko and Hana in particular came to mind. Kami, if she wasn't his new sensei and weren't with Hayate she'd have taken an interest in him too after what she had seen tonight.

"Naruto this is Uzuki Yugao, your new Jonin-sensei," said the Hokage.

"Nice to meet you sensei," said Naruto.

"Likewise Naruto," said Yugao.

"So, when do we start?" Naruto asked.

"Meet me at training ground 21 tomorrow 8:00 am sharp. Since you already know your instructor there's no need to go to the academy like the other genin," instructed Yugao.

"I'll be there," he said. With that Naruto got up and body flickered out of the room.

_This is certainly going to be interesting, _thought Yugao.

"Yugao there some other things we need to discuss so why don't you take a seat," said the Hokage after Naruto had left the room.

Yugao took the seat Naruto had just vacated and waited for the Hokage to continue.

Seeing that she'd made herself comfortable the Hokage explained the situation to Yugao, _"_Yugao_, _Naruto has obviously received instruction from someone, now we don't know who, but I would like you to find out. I'm not overly concerned, Naruto said she was a relative and I believe he was telling the truth. Nevertheless I'd like you too find out more about it, it's for his own good."

"You want me to spy on him?" Yugao asked, a little taken back by the request. She didn't think it was a good way to start her relationship with her new student.

"No, preferably I'd like him too trust us enough to tell us about his training in more detail but that will only come with time. I don't have to tell you how hard his life has been. Just treat him with respect and be a good teacher, I'm sure he'll come around. More than anything I just want you to keep an eye out in case his sensei did anything not in Naruto's best interest," he replied.

Yugao nodded her head; she had been tasked with guarding Naruto a few times during his younger years. She was well aware at the kind of dangers and treatment he had to endure, it was no wonder he had significant trust issues. She was a bit relieved that the Hokage didn't want her to just act as a spy on Naruto. He was essentially making Naruto her responsibility.

"I also don't want the council interfering with this which is why I'm putting him under you, you report to me only. Two out of the last three geniuses this village has produced have gone rogue, I won't let the council force Naruto into taking similar action. You know how riled up the civilians get at the mere mention of Naruto's name."

The Hokage didn't have to tell her that, she had looked on in disgust during a number of Council meeting where the civilians had put forth a motion to execute what they called the 'demon'.

"I'd prefer if you kept Naruto's skills quiet for now, I don't want to make a fuss out of this unless I have to," said the Hokage.

Yugao sweated a bit at that, she'd already blabbed to Ibiki and Anko. Fortunately Ibiki wasn't the talkative type and Anko didn't have many friends beyond herself, Hana and Kurenai.

"Do you think Naruto will ever trust us Hokage-sama?" Yugao asked.

"Hopefully, I suspect he was being relatively truthful with us tonight though he was definitely omitting details. Maybe one day he'll trust you enough to explain the whole story, only time will tell. Anyway that's enough for tonight you're dismissed."

With that Yugao saluted the Hokage and left thinking about tomorrow's meeting with a certain blonde haired student.

* * *

Naruto arrived back at the ruins to meet Akeginu and tell her about his new 'sensei'. He was satisfied with how tonight had gone, Mizuki would be rotting in a prison cell the rest of his life, and he'd finally got his discussion with the old man out of the way. To top it all off he'd caught a glimpse at seal he hadn't seen before.

He'd laid into the old man tonight, but the conversation had to happen sooner or later. He didn't really hold anything against him, he'd fucked up but shit happens. The old man was a bit naïve, he still believed this village to be the virtuous ideal it was intended to be; it seemed his father was guilty of the same thing.

_Ha, treat __me like a__ hero, what a joke._ No this village had been corrupted for some time, long before he was even born. Laying out the old man's screw ups in front of him allowed him to guilt the old man out of some secrets and even get a new sensei. He was pleased with the old man's choice; Uzuki Yugao appeared to be a competent ninja without any prejudice towards him. That was the most he could ask for realistically. Perhaps she would be able to teach him some new kenjutsu and chakra techniques, Tenzen'z style didn't factor in chakra. In any event it was better than being one a team with one of his 'classmates.'

_Yep, tonight was definitely a success, _Naruto thought to himself. Of course some of the night's revelations would have repercussions. "Kurama we need to talk." said Naruto as he entered his mindscape. Ever since his first talk with Kurama he could do it easily. This time instead of the dojo he appeared at the shrine straight in front of the brass gate containing the Kyuubi.

Kurama appeared immediately in all her naked glory, **"**_**Yes, that old monkey was quite loose with his secrets wasn't he? You'd think by now he'd have **__**learned**__** that there's power in secrets. Really… giving away all that valuable knowledge for nothing, such a waste."**_

"Not nothing," Naruto replied, "he got my services."

Kurama just smiled when he said that before walking right up the gate standing directly in front of him. "_**You may have fooled the old monkey**_," she said while reaching through the gate and running her ringer down Naruto's chest_**, "but I know better. You had already resolved to stay in this cesspool of corruption for a little longer before even talking to him. That revelation about your mother was given away for… nothing. Like I said, 'such a waste'."**_

"Maybe so, either way the Hokage has his ninja…for the time being anyway."

"_**Yes, that's the crux of the matter isn't it? You are merely a transient visitor to this village."**_

"Wh-"

""_**But I approve, after all what value is there in staying here? Give them years of service risking your life and they'll still view you as nothing more than a demon or at the very best my vessel. Even if you did save the village any respect they would give you would be hollow, tainted by the knowledge that these people didn't give a shit about you before. It truly is contemptible, the Yondaime Hokage saves them from my wrath and they spit on his legacy. Why would you want to protect such trash? Would you willingly give your life to protect these child abusers?"**_

Naruto sighed, "You've made your point fox. I swear you and sensei must be reading form the same book." said Naruto.

"_**The woman knows what she's talking about. It would be a waste of your talent anyway, you'd never truly reach your potential trapped in Konoha."**_

"And what do you know of my potential?" Naruto asked.

"_**You forget so quickly, weren't you listening, you're my third host. Both my previous hosts were ninjas, strong ones. Not to mention I've seen all this villages best ones through their eyes, so I know talent when I see it. The Shodai Hokage and his damn trees, that wet brother of his, the monkey when he was young,your father the Yellow Flash, ...Uchiha Madara, " **_she practically spat out that last name. He filed it away for later, it seemed the Kyuubi did not like the Uchiha's, this one in particular, _**"I've seen them all."**_

"So you remember some of their techniques?"

"_**I knew you'd understand. Yes, the benefits of an eidetic memory, I remember every technique I **__**have seen**__**. I have a particularly good understanding of Uzumaki sealing techniques and your father's too."**_

"Can you do ninjutsu? Fūinjutsu?" Naruto asked.

"_**No. My nature is too chaotic for such things, and you try doing those hand seals with giant paws. I have no need anyway; my natural abilities far surpass anything you ninja could ever achieve. It's one of the benefits of being a superior life form afterall.**_

"Uh huh, why do those same techniques keep you trapped in here then?"

"_**Maybe I'll tell you sometime, the answer may surprise you, or then again maybe not, you're sharper than most but I don't really care. All you have to remember is that if you ever want access to your clan techniques you have to come to me."**_

Naruto stayed silent, he knew she was right. It was merely another thing he'd have to get out of her one day, the list was growing and getting anything out of her would be difficult.

"That's enough, I didn't come here to discuss this," said Naruto.

"_**Ah yes your dear mother, thank **__**the**__** Rikudō Sennin that I'm out of her. I wouldn't have been able to handle much more of her nonsense. Always spouting about how love would keep me bound. Stupid bitch, it wasn't love that kept me **__**sealed**__** but those chakra chains **__**piercing**__** my flesh. I prefer the cage your father set up, its not very roomy but it beats being pinned down like a slave, at least I can shapeshift in **__**this**__** cage."**_

Naruto didn't interrupt, the Kyuubi was rarely this forthcoming.

"_**No, you're a much more interesting vessel. I've had more conversations with you in our short time than I had in the entire seventeen years I was with Kushina.**_ _**You look exactly like her except for the hair and eyes."**_

"What about your other host?" Naruto asked.

"_**Maybe another time, I'll **__**start**__** sounding old if I keep on being nostalgic like this. "**_

Naruto didn't think it would be in his best interest to point out that she was old. Akeginu didn't appreciate it, so he doubted the kitsune would either.

With a sigh he withdrew from his mindscape, that had been a dismissal and he new by now that the fox only liked to discuss things on her terms. No doubt the Hokage giving away the secret about his mother hadn't been part her plans, she only discuss it with him when she was ready not before.

"Where have you been?" Akeginu asked as she appeared next to him.

"Just doing some exercise. Got to maim and torture my academy teacher too."

Akeginu quirked one of her eyebrows at him, "So you had a good time I take it?"

He smiled when she didn't bat an eyelash at his activities, "I don't know about that, he wasn't skilled enough to be entertaining, but I did see something of interest. He had an unusual seal on him; the Kyuubi said it was unnatural."

"Did she now?" Akginu asked, he knew she was a bit ambivalent towards the kitsune. While she appreciated its power and benefits she knew he had to tread cautiously around the powerful beast.

Naruto nodded his head and explained the nights events to his sensei, leaving out no details.

"She?" Akeginu asked, there was something in her voice he hadn't picked up on ever before.

"Yeah, she's a woman, looks to be around mid-twenties, a kenjutsu expert apparently," said Naruto, before describing Yugao to his sensei.

"I see, I might come with you tomorrow, I want to see this woman in action myself."

"Sure, it's over at training ground 21, I'll come get you before I go," said Naruto.

"See that you do," said Akeginu, a little coldly.

Narto just gave her a perplexed look as he tried to figure out what had her feathers ruffled.

* * *

Kurama watched Naruto interact with his sensei. She was in a good mood. At first she thought she'd have to cut off any remaining links the boy had to the village, but now it looked like he'd eventually leave of his own fruition. He'd be much easier to manipulate once he was on his own.

She'd volunteered that info about his mother; making him strain for every bit of info from her wasn't helpful to her cause. In fact she could wield more influence over him as a sensei than as an occasional business partner, perhaps she should start teaching him her unique form of genjutsu. It certainly would give her a way to combat the influence of the Iga kunoichi. That woman would be a problem, she'd served her purpose, made her vessel strong; it was time to get rid of her. It wouldn't be easy either, from what she'd seen the kunoichi was an expert manipulator and had the boy wrapped around her little finger. Driving a wedge between the two would be a difficult task, but she always loved a challenge. She could tell that their relationship had long ago surpassed that of teacher and student, they acted more like a couple every day. The only thing missing was kissing and sexual contact. Fortunately for her she had the advantage there, the kunoichi was quite dead, lingering only in spirit form, she'd move on eventually they always do. Still, severing their relationship and increasing her own influence with the boy would be her priority from now on and she knew exactly how to do it.

The boy was desperate to master genjutsu, she liked that, Genjutsu was her favourite art. Genjutsu was a weapon of subtlety, you needed a keen mind and exceptional chakra control. Fortunately the boy had both in spades. Teaching him her genjutsu would be interesting game in itself. Hers differed from ninja genjutsu which was formulaic and structured. hers was more natural and free form. The boy would have to combine both hers and ninja genjutsu to overcome the physical difference and be able to use it effectively. It be interesting to see if he could do it. Yes, becoming his genjutsu teacher would be the best way to increase her influence over him. Next time he came to her they would discuss it in detail.

* * *

_**Foot Notes**_

_**(1) Not Orochimaru white, more like Sai.**_

_**(2) I like a good mantle, its more European in style but who cares. Anyone read the manwha Ares? One of the swordsman in that sports a wicked mantle.**_

_**(3)Similar to Anko's seal rather than the one in the anime which was pretty much just a recipe.**_

* * *

_**Author Notes**_

_**Sarutobi**__** always struck me as a very naïve character, not that seeing the best in people isn't a good thing, but the mess with Orochimaru and Danzo being left unchecked were largely a result of his mercy/inaction. Expect Naruto to take advantage of his kind nature.**_

_**I made Mizuki Orochinaru's chump like in the anime filler. Main reason for this was that Naruto and **__**Orochimaru**__** will have much more interaction than they had in canon. This incident and more specifically the seal will function as the catalyst for Naruto's interest in Orochinaru, also another pillar for Anko/Naruto interaction later on.**_

_**As far as Naruto's training goes, his jutsus will primarily be fuinjutsu and genjutsu. At this stage he probably won't learn Rasengan or if he does he won't use it much as he doesn't need it. His Iga techniques will be his primary **__**ones, he**__** won't be spamming **__**Rasengans**__** and Shadow clones like in canon.**_

_**I plan on Yugao involving Hayate as well in Naruto training, he may learn Hayate's Shadow dance , since Naruto knows shadow clones.**_

_**Tune in next week, for Yugao, and Naruto action.**_


	8. Chapter 8 - New Sensei

_**Chapter 8 – New Sensei**_

_**Hey people! Tibo here.**_

_**Sorry this chapter was a bit late, uni exams put me a week behind. This chapter covers Yugao's intro. In canon she doesn't feature much, so we don't know a lot about her personality or abilities. **_

_**I plan on making **__**Naruto and Yugao's**__** relationship more of a teammate dynamic rather than student / teacher. Yugao will quickly realize that Naruto is close to her level so she'll rely on him in missions and respect his opinion. They'll function more as a two person team instead of a master/apprentice. Though she will make one important addition to Naruto's skill set which will feature this chapter.**_

_**This chapter also introduces Hayate and some other canon characters.**_

_**Check out my profile page for an update on ideas for Naruto's techniques.**_

_**In response to some questions:**_

_**Mommerally: **__I read your rant, and I agree completely. Don't get me started on Konoha's citizens, I'll rant all day. I never really understood the point Kishimoto was trying to make there, essentially for Naruto to be treated as human he had to save the entire village/world. It doesn't exactly set a good precedent. _

_Fortunately my Naruto was saved from developing a truly dark (or broken) persona by meeting Akeginu (if he was just left on his own its hard to imagine him ending up being anything other than someone consumed by hate or in a psyche ward)._

_I do intend on Naruto starting up a group of ninja. Probably won't be 10 , more like 5 or 7. Obviously Akeginu will be in on it, so will Kagerou and Saemon eventually. Haven't decided who else, probably one or two of Orochimaru's ninja, maybe Karin (an Uzumaki, if Naruto meets her he will be interested), or Tayuya._

_**Hakka the Great**__**:**__ You raise an interesting point with Tsuande. On one hand she's in bad shape and losing comrades comes with the territory of being a ninja. On the other hand this Naruto is smart and is aware of the physiological strain involved in war, perhaps he'll think Tsuande just reached her breaking point, and is damaged. Either way it'll be interesting to write, will Naruto despise her, ignore her, or help her?_

_**Cold Blue: **__I like the questions, they let me now what my audience is curious about. Some of your questions will be answered this chapter (the Kurama genjutsu one and Yūgao /sensor chakra questions)._

_I won't answer all your questions since I don't want to give away too many spoilers. See profile update for Kagerou question. I like gaara so I won't kill him off. The Itachi and Kisame confrontation will occur as in canon (only with Iga Naruto replacing canon – much more even fight)._

_Saemon strikes me as a cool customer (he didn't even lose his cool after finding his dead sister), so he'll be curious when he meets Naruto. Hotaru Bi will be hostile before calming down when she sees Akeginu._

_Yeah, I'm still trying to come up with a good bingo book name._

_**Rikudo Naruto**__**: **__Not really sure about Kushina yet. At this stage I haven't made any conclusive decision regarding her but I'll welcome any suggestions you have._

_**Mpren87: **__In regards to the other genin's skill I just up the age to make it more realistic, I didn't change the curriculum, so they all still suck._

* * *

**[Standard disclaimer: I do not own Basilisk or Naruto.]**

Naruto stood still, cloaked in the shadows, hidden beneath the trees that were scattered around Training Ground 21, waiting patiently for his new sensei to arrive. Fractured rays of sunlight filtered down around him providing just enough light to make out his pale face and darkly dressed form. He had arrived an hour ago and hidden himself amongst the trees to the south of the grounds, he hoped he would be able to observe his sensei's arrival. He didn't like waiting out in the open, years of training had made him too cautious to ever leave himself that vulnerable, even if he was awaiting the woman who was to be his new teacher.

Training ground 21 was located on the southern outskirts of Konoha. It was more secluded than most of the other grounds. Like most training grounds this one had a light sprinkling of trees and forest areas which provided the useful hiding places and ambush sites that made them perfect for shinobi training. Unlike most training grounds in Konoha this one had a number of rock formations scattered across the landscape, what was most unusual was that the rocks were not naturally occurring; they had been moved there by someone and from the look of the holes in them, used for some sort of crazy taijutsu training.

To Naruto's left stood Akeginu. She had decided to tag along to see his new sensei, after all, she had a vested interest in what he would be learning. She was dressed in her standard red kimono and like Naruto was cloaked in the shadows of the trees, though to anyone other than Naruto she would be completely invisible.

"I'm surprised you came…you rarely leave the ruins," commented Naruto.

"Hmph, don't read too much into it. I just wanted to see my replacement," replied Akeginu, speaking a little colder than she usually would.

Naruto tried not to wince at her tone. He recognized it; it was the tone she used whenever she was pissed off. He had only ever experienced it a few times, once when he had gotten a glimpse of her with her kimono off, and another time when she had somehow found out he had fought Itachi all those years ago. Lets just say the tone was usually the precursor to a severe beating.

"Replacement? As if I could ever replace you," replied Naruto, attempting to placate his angry and potentially abusive sensei.

"With a younger and sexier model no doubt," said Akeginu, her tone dropping another two degrees in temperature.

Yep, she was pissed. Naruto didn't know whether it was the fact that he had a new sensei or more specifically that his new sensei was a young woman. He might have suspected she felt threatened by Yūgao, though the thought was ridiculous to him, she had been his sensei for over a decade and nothing could change that. Before the conversation could progress any further and Naruto could dig himself into a bigger hole his new sensei arrived in the middle of the training ground in a swirl of leaves.

Yūgao had forgone the Neko mask, leaving her rather attractive face visible for all to see. She had a heart shaped face with long purple hair, which she wore loose, her fringe cascading down in front of her dark brown eyes. Unlike his sensei she was decked out in combat gear; wearing a sleeveless ANBU flack vest, long gloves that almost came up to her shoulders, standard ANBU pants and black sandals. The whole outfit was quite form fitting, although not designed to seduce like Akeginu's kimono the outfit would still undoubtedly attract the male eye. He noticed that she also had violet lipstick on. _Two birds with one stone, _thought Naruto. Yūgao was dressed for both combat and distraction. He also took note of the sword strapped to her back, it looked shorter than his katana_,_possibly a kodachi like his sensei's.

"Looks like she's here. Why don't we go say hello?" said Naruto.

* * *

Yūgao arrived at training ground 21 right on time. She couldn't help but feel excited, eager to see what her new apprentice could do, after last night she had high expectations. Naruto would be her first ever student so she wanted to make a good impression. However, looking around the ground she couldn't spot her new student, "Where is h-"

"Morning sensei."

Yūgao jumped in the air, startled by the voice coming from behind her. Spinning around as quickly as possible she brought a kunai down towards the chest of whoever had snuck up on her, after so many years in ANBU it was a purely natural reaction.

The descent of her kunai was stopped abruptly by Naruto, who clamped his hand around her wrist. He raised an eyebrow at her reaction, "Is this how you greet all your students sensei?"

_What the fuck? _Thought Yūgao. T_hat shouldn't be possible_. Naruto had just scared the absolute shit out of her, no one had been able to sneak up on her like that in years_, I'm ANBU damn it._

Yūgao looked at Naruto smiling and resisted the urge to punch her apprentice in the face. Instead she tried to calm the nerves that Naruto had just shot before she made an even worse impression.

"Hello Naruto, your awfully spry this morning." greeted Yūgao, trying to act like the last twenty seconds never happened though the slight twitch in her right eye suggested she was failing miserably.

To Yūgao's frustration Naruto's smile deepened after hearing her strained greeting.

"Are you ready for today Naruto?" Yūgao asked hoping to save some dignity by moving on as fast as possible.

"Of course, _are_ _you_ _sensei_?" Naruto replied smugly with a heavy emphasis on the last part.

Yūgao's twitch became even more pronounced, but she decided to ignore Naruto. He was obviously trying to provoke another reaction out of her, "Alright enough of that Naruto, let's get down to business."

Naruto playful demeanor faded instantly, his eyes became sharper and his features more detached, "Where do we start sensei?"

"Well since neither of us have met formally before last night I thought we'd start with some introductions, after that we can spar so I can get a better gauge of your level," explained Yūgao who also took note of Naruto abrupt shift into a professional persona.

Naruto nodded his head in agreement, "Very well. My name is Uzumaki Naruto of the Uzumaki clan. I enjoy training and discovering new things. My hobbies include reading and researching ancient ninpo. My dislikes include the majority of this village, people who abuse others for their own enjoyment, and hypocrites. My dream is to be the strongest ninja in history and rebuild my clan."

Yūgao blinked trying to process what she just heard; _strongest __ninja__ in history? Uzumaki clan? Ancient ninpo?_ This wasn't what she had been expecting; it was common knowledge and a running joke amongst the ninja that Naruto wanted to be Hokage. Apparently that wasn't the case, though after last night she wasn't be surprised that he had different goals from his fake persona._But strongest ninja in history?_ The files she had read on Naruto were useless as well since they were based off the fake persona and written by moronic teachers. She'd have to find out about Naruto the old fashion way, by getting to know him personally. She would have to find out exactly how he had managed to pull the wool over Konoha's eyes one day. It was damn impressive whatever he'd done.

Thinking on what Naruto had said it wasn't surprising he didn't like the villagers; she wouldn't either if she'd been treated like he had been, and still was if Mizuki's attitude was any indication. She was glad he was upfront about it and not trying to hide it from her. It meant he was willing to give her a chance but also that he would expect her to be equally forward with him.

"Uzumaki clan?" Yūgao asked.

"There an old clan that was wiped out some time ago. You should look up Uzumaki Mito next time you're in the library…you'll be surprised, in fact your wearing one of their symbols," replied Naruto, pointing at her headband.

Yūgao frowned in confusion, "The leaf?"

"No, the whirlpool inside the leaf. It's on the chūnin and jōnin flack jackets as well. The whirlpool is the Uzumaki clan's symbol and the symbol for Uzushiogakure. Konoha probably shouldn't be wearing it anymore since they've long since reneged on their obligations."

"What do you mean?"

"Konoha's use of the whirlpool was as a symbol of respect and goodwill to the Uzumaki clan. I think that with their treatment of myself and the fact that the Uzumaki clan isn't even mentioned in the academy's history books, Konoha has lost the right to use that symbol."

"I've never heard of that," said Yūgao, honestly she couldn't even think of the Uzumaki clan being mentioned in the history books at academy. In fact the only timed she had herd the name Uzumaki was in reference to Uzumaki Kushina.

"Not surprising. It's standard propaganda. Konoha likes to overlook the role the Uzumaki clan played in the founding of the village. They've relegated them to obscurity, instead promoting the actions of the Senju and Uchiha clans. I suppose its just another reason why Konoha has lost the right to use that symbol."

"I'll have to look it up," said Yūgao in genuine interest, in fact she might even ask the Hokage about it, after all he is called 'the Professor'.

"You do that."

Yūgao decided to move on, it was clear that this was a sensitive subject for Naruto and she didn't want to say anything offensive. She would redress her ignorance on the subject later but for now it was time for her introduction. "Alright, my name is Uzuki Yūgao. I like swords, kenjutsu and my boyfriend Hayate who also like swords. My hobbies are training and maintaining my swords. I dislike rapists, kunoichi who don't take ninja business seriously and people who don't maintain their swords."

Naruto sweat dropped, "So…you like swords?"

Yūgao just gave her student a level gaze, "Yes, I've always been fascinated by kenjutsu. When I was a young ninja at the academy I had a particular interesting the Seven Swordsman of the Mist, and I practically worshiped the ground Uzumaki Kushina walked on."

"You knew my mother?"

Yūgao almost face planted when he said that, "Your mother?!"

Naruto nodded his head, "Surely the thought crossed your mind sensei. I mean...we have the same last name, she was pregnant during the Kyuubi attack and as far as I know there was no other Uzumaki family in Konoha."

"I was told you were assigned that name in honour of her sacrifice."

Naruto gave an undignified snort, "You should know by know that most of things you've been told about me were lies."

"So it would seem.." Yūgao reflected on what she knew about Kushina Uzumaki. _But that would mean…Naruto is the Yondaime Hokage's son!_

"Then your father is—"

"— Namikaze Minato? Correct."

"But…"

"The old man thought he was protecting me from Iwa's retribution but he failed to consider that he was leaving me prey to…more localized threats."

Yūgao winced at what Naruto was saying, he made the villagers sound like predators. _But...I suppose they are, what else do you call people who abuse children?_

"So did you know my mother?" Naruto asked, bringing Yūgao's thoughts back to the original question.

"Only by reputation, she was the strongest kunoichi of her time...I looked up to her as the type of the ninja I wanted to become," replied Yūgao.

"Was she a kenjutsu user too?" Naruto asked while indicating to the katana at his waist.

Yūgao nodded her head, Kushina was a highly regarded swordswoman. "Do you mind?" asked Yūgao pointing at his katana.

"How about after we spar, I don't want you placing any seals on my sword," said Naruto with a wry smile.

Yūgao approved of Naruto's wariness. She knew he was both joking and completely serious at the same time. The thought hadn't crossed her mind but she was happy to see her student thinking outside the box and showing a professional's awareness despite the good atmosphere they had going.

_I should expect that though, he has been living in a hostile environment his whole life._

Yūgao sighed, getting Naruto to trust her was going to be hard work, but she welcomed the challenge, it didn't hurt that she generally liked Naruto and was looking forward to training him. _He he...I could end up being the sensei of the strongest ninja in history._ From what she had seen so far it wasn't _that_ big of a stretch since he was clearly the best of his generation in Konoha. Add in his massive chakra reserves and you have the makings of an S rank nin.

_I'm going to cash in during the chunin exams this year. I wonder if Anko still has that betting ring going?_

"Alright, so most jōnin-sensei give their students another test to see if they're actually ready to be genin but after last night I think we both know you're more than ready. So instead of wasting our time I think we'll just spar so I can get a better indication of what level you're really at," explained Yūgao.

Naruto nodded then took a few steps back opening up some space between them before saying, "Sounds good sensei…Come at with me with the intent to kill."

Yūgao sweat dropped, _isn't that my line?_

Before she could come up with a suitably witty retort she was forced to duck as Naruto's katana cut though the air straight where her neck would have been. Her eyes widened in surprise as she barely managed to duck out of the way of what would have been a fatal strike. She spotted several strands of her purple hair floating in the breeze indicating how close she had just come to dying.

_Shit, that almost killed me. Was that Iaido? I can't believe he knows Iaido, was he trained by a Samurai? _Yugao wondered while quickly trying to adapt to this new information.

She had heard of, read about and even seen Iaido but she had never had it used against her. Rumor has it that a skilled swordmaster could use it to the degree where you couldn't even see the blade being drawn before it was sheathed again. Mifune, the swordmaster from Iron Country was rumored to be so proficient at Iaido that it was pointless to use hand seals against him since he could stop them with his draw. From what Naruto just showed her, his level couldn't be far off that.

Yūgao drew her own blade; it was a single edged chokutō, a simple but practical weapon, perfect for a ninja. **(1)** It was fortunate that she chose to draw her sword when she did because Naruto didn't give her any more time to prepare, quickly attacking her with a barrage of sword strikes. Yūgao marveled at the speed of the attacks, it was easily jōnin level. She blocked all of his attacks with significant effort before parrying the last and replying with a riposte straight at Naruto's chest. Instead of blocking Naruto evaded with a side step, letting the momentum pull Yūgao forward, before countering with a diagonal slash intended to open up her chest. Yūgao took the attack head on, blocking it but was surprised when her knees almost buckled under the strength of the attack.

_Damn, where's he getting that strength from?_

Naruto capitalized on his advantage delivering a straight kick to Yūgao's stomach sending her back several meters. Yūgao flowed with the kick and flipped back landing on her feet. She took what little time was available to her to prepare a suitable response. She decided to go one handed, she would sacrifice power for speed and try to overwhelm Naruto rather than try and break through with strength.

She closed the distance between her and Naruto moving at her quickest pace which was high jōnin level. In fact she was pretty sure in Konoha only Might Gai and maybe Kakashi could move faster than her. She pushed Naruto back with an offensive onslaught of sword strikes, frequently reversing her grip on her sword to try catch Naruto off guard.

Naruto managed to handle the attacks but he was being pushed back as he tried to adjust to Yūgao's speed. He decided to change styles, switching out Tenzen's technical form for Akeginu's faster more free form style. **(2) **It did the trick as he was able to make up the physical difference between them by using the different style to slow Yūgao down.

Yūgao was amazed at what she was seeing, she expected Naruto's level to be high chūnin but the skill level he was showing her now was equal to, if not higher than hers, the only difference between them was her experience and her adult body which allowed her to keep a step ahead of him during the spar. What was even more interesting was the style of kenjutsu Naruto was using; she had never seen anything like it before, that and he was switching between more than one style of kenjutsu.

Up till now most of her sword duels had been with ninja from either Kiri or Kumo where Kenjutsu was far more common. The style Naruto was using was different from what she'd seen in those places. In Kumo almost all kenjutsu users tend to focus on powerful and fast attacks supplemented by Raiton. In Water Country Kenjutsu users are far more varied, ranging from the many common two-handed zanbato styles to more esoteric ones such as the famed Kaguya clan style that incorporated their Shikotsumyaku bloodline.

Naruto's style was different from all of them. It was very technical, economical in its movements, relying on fast precise strikes rather than brute force. It looked designed for a pure swordsman, to be used without the use of armor since in defence he used parries and evasion rather than blocking attacks head on. There was also the Iaido, which had clearly been added to the style to strengthen its offense by giving it an opening attack that could finish most opponents in a single hit. She definitely had to figure out where he learned it and if possible get him to teach her of some of it. His other style was definitely a shinobi style, it was fast, used single handed attacks clearly designed for a shorter blade. It also incorporated acrobatic movements and taijutsu.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she saw Naruto crouch preparing to deliver a horizontal attack. Anticipating it she moved to her right giving her ample room to doge the strike and before attacking Naruto with a counter. To her surprise, rather than evading the attack she felt Naruto's blade cut deep into her left shoulder.

Yūgao bit down on her lip so she didn't scream. _How the hell did I get hit… I'm sure I dodged that attack._

She looked down at her left shoulder to see a deep gash bleeding profusely. _Shit, that's going to need stitches._

"First blood to me." said Naruto.

She looked over at him in annoyance but frowned when she saw his sword, there was no blood on it. In fact it looked absolutely clean.

_That's impossible, what the…oh...of course, _she realized what Naruto had done, "Kai!"

The genjutsu around Naruto sword shattered to reveal a blade three inches longer than the one he had been using. It was a katana not a kodachi. Red blood dripped from the tip onto the ground.

She tried to keep her mouth from hanging open but she was extremely impressed. Making objects appear different or even invisible was standard practice for a genjutsu user, but what was impressive in this case was the application. Genjutsu users rarely engaged in close quarters combat precisely because it could disrupt their concentration yet here Naruto was doing the exact opposite, it was ingenious. Naruto had made an alteration so subtle it would be extremely difficult to detect for all but the most observant or adept genjutsu users. Furthermore his Iaido and rapid attacks from the moment the spar started made it impossible for her to get a good look at the length of his blade and therefore pick up on the genjutsu, it was excellent use of tactics. The control required was also amazing; to be able to hold his concentration while fighting in close quarters combat was an impressive feat.

_Every action from the moment the battle started was geared towards injuring me with that genjutsu attack… very impressive Naruto._

"Not bad Naruto, I didn't even see you set it up." said Yūgao.

Naruto smiled at her, "I didn't use hand seals that's why. "

Yūgao's eyebrows shot up in surprise at that, it took years of practice to use a jutsu without hand seals. What she didn't know was that Akeginu wouldn't let Naruto use a jutsu in the field unless he could do it without hand seals, she didn't want him advertising his attacks in any way whatsoever. As a consequence Naruto only had a small arsenal of jutsus but what he had he could use without hand seals.

Naruto held his katana up to her, suddenly the entire Katana turned invisible, "I call it Kakushi Ken (Hidden Blade) **.** I can change the length of the blade at any time I want, even turn it invisible mid swing."

She cringed at that, she could only imagine how surprising it would be to be in a intense sword fight with him only to have his blade disappear during an attack. He'd kill a lot of people with that attack. Naruto had turned a simple genjutsu into a lethal support jutsu.

"No hand seals?" Yūgao asked, wondering how he managed that.

"Tajū Kage bunshin," Naruto replied, expecting her to know the answer.

She nodded her head. She knew the shadow clone technique herself as well as the benefits and drawbacks, but how had he learnt the kinjutsu A rank multiple shadow clone version of the technique?

"How many can you make?" Yūgao asked.

"Over a thousand," Naruto replied.

Yūgao's eyes bulged at that, _ONE THOUSAND!_

She could only imagine how fast he could learn techniques like that. She knew the Kyuubi no Kitsune gave him massive chakra reserves but that was ridiculous, she could only manage three at most.

"You're aware of the dangers of using it right?" Yūgao asked. She was pretty sure he would be aware of it but as his teacher she had to make sure.

Naruto nodded his head, "Feedback's a bitch."

Naruto waved his katana breaking the genjutsu before saying, "Let's take this up a notch."

Without hands seals Naruto channeled wind chakra into his katana. Yūgao watched him intently; she had seen him use this last night so she wasn't surprised to see him bring it out. What was impresisve was that chakra channeling at this level was an A rank Jōnin class ninjutsu, and he was doing it without hand seals. She was a little jealous that Naruto seemed to have an affinity for wind; wind increased the cutting potential of the blade dramatically, so naturally every Kenjutsu wanted to have it. Not that she couldn't do the same thing but having an affinity made training and using the jutsu much easier, it took her many years before she was able to do the same thing Naruto was doing right now.

"Two can play that game Naruto." said Yūgao as she channeled fire along her blade. **(3) **It wasn't as sharp as wind but the heat it would add an extra keenness to her blade and increase to blade's ability to damage armor. The fire would also defend against Naruto's wind enhanced strikes since fire was strong against wind.

As soon as Yugao's fire channeling was complete both ninja met in a clash of blades. The fight progressed along similar lines as it did before only this time both fighters knew that the slightest mistake could result in severe injury. Naruto's wind enhanced blade could sever a limb with ease while Yūgao fire enhanced one could cause third degree burns and make healing any cut extremely painful and difficult.

Naruto slashed at Yūgao from the left, then in the opposite direction from the right. Yūgao parried both attacks before spinning with the last and delivering a sharp kick to Naruto chest sending him back several meters.

Instead of pursuing him and following up the attack Yūgao yelled, "**Mikazuki no Ma **(Dance of the crescent moon)**"(4)** creating three shadow clones of herself and positioning them at Naruto's blind spots.

Yūgao and her clones moved to surround Naruto before simultaneously attacking. To her surprise Naruto body flickered with amazing speed directly behind her before delivering a slash at her neck. She rolled forward escaping the strike but Naruto used this time to flicker behind her clones cutting each of them down in turn.

Yūgao hadn't seen shunshin used in this manner since Uchiha Shisui. She also noticed that each of Naruto's shunshins were disguised in a cloud of red mist. She briefly wondered what the red mist was before Naruto flickered straight in front of her to deliver a kick to her solar plexus. She dropped to her knees and managed to do a kawarimi with a log just in time as Naruto brought his blade down splitting the log in half.

"Alright Naruto, your kenjutsu is easily jōnin level but what about your other skills?" Yūgao asked after appearing about twenty meters to Naruto right. Before Naruto could reply Yūgao flew through a large amount of hand selas and yelled, "**Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!"**

A giant water dragon was released from Yūgao's mouth moving towards Naruto at an extreme velocity.

Instead of dodging Naruto sheathed his sword adopting his Iaido stance. Yūgao briefly wondered what Naruto was doing before Naruto dew his katana faster than the eye could see and released a crescent blade of wind cutting straight through Yūgao's water dragon, splitting it in half. Yūgao managed to roll to her right just in time as the blade of wind sliced open the ground where she had been standing.

_That was an A rank wind ninjutsu technique from Wind country, I haven't seen it used outside of Suna, and never with Iaido before _observed Yūgao.

"So you know another A rank ninjutsu Naruto, but it's mostly seen over in Wind country, where did you pick that up?" commented Yūgao.

"I know, I've read about it before. I figured it would be a useful addition to my Iaido, its pretty much an extension of channeling wind chakra so it was a fairly natural progression of my skills." replied Naruto, before following up the attack by hurling a kunai at Yūgao. Her sharp eyes picked up the tag attached to it.

**"Doton: Doryūheki!"** She yelled as she slammed her hands into the ground creating a wall of earth five meters in front of her. Naruto's kunai hit the wall of earth before exploding sending chunks of rock and earth in every direction.

As the smoke and dust cleared Yūgao got a good look at the damage. The explosive tag had created a large crater in the middle of their training ground.

_Talk about overkill _she thought.

Yūgao went to create another ninjutsu attack before wincing as she felt a stab of pain in her arm, _damn __I'm__ going to have to get that treated._

"We might have to stop there for today Naruto, you got my arm pretty good."

Naruto sheathed his sword and approached Yūgao examining his handiwork, "You'll probably need some stitches sensei."

Yūgao nodded, she'd definitely need stitches. "Alright Naruto, we'll have to cut things short for now, while I go and get my arm treated I want you to work on your ninjutsu. Here's the hand seals for Fūton: Daitoppa, it's a C rank offensive wind jutsu," said Yugao as she showed Naruto the hand seals for the jutsu before performing it for him. A large gust of wind exploded from Yugao clearing all the dust that had resulted from the earlier explosion.

"I've got it sensei." said Naruto.

"Right then, I'll see you in an hour or so," said Yūgao before leaving for the hospital in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

"So, what did you think?" Naruto asked Akeginu who had been watching from the sidelines.

"She's alright…I suppose." Akeginu replied grudgingly.

"You suppose?"

"She's nothing special, but you could have done a lot worse," explained Akeginu thinking of some of the fools masquerading as Ninja in the village.

"Definitely, I probably would have ended up with some pervert who wouldn't teach me anything," said Naruto, thinking of that fool who taught the Hokage's grandson. He doubted he would have made it through one training session without killing the man.

"_**You should break her and make her your own, she could be a useful pawn." **_said Kurama.

"No, I won't be doing that." replied Naruto.

"What?" asked a confused Akeginu.

"Sorry, the Kyuubi thinks I should turn her to my side, mentioned something about breaking her." explained Naruto.

Akeginu shook her head, "That won't be happening."

"_**Oh, she just wants you for herself. **__**I think**__** she's a little jealous."**_

Naruto just shook his head; this conversation was going nowhere fast.

Naruto sub vocalized, _Kage Bunshin_ making several hundred clones appear, "Alright people, you know what to do, I want half of you practicing Fūton: Daitoppa, the other trying to use those water and earth jutsu Yūgao-sensei just used. Get to it."

"On the up side, you'll be able to increase your arsenal of ninjutsu." commented Akeginu.

"I suppose, I don't really need them but it won't hurt to have them just in case." said Naruto before going over to join his clones in their training.

* * *

One hour later Yūgao arrived back at the training ground, left arm freshly bandaged. She had just left the hospital with some painkillers and twenty stitches in her shoulder. While she was getting treated she had been thinking about how she should go about training Naruto. The boy was much stronger then she originally estimated. After witnessing him last night she had estimated his skill level to be high chūnin but he'd just shown her that he could be classed as tokubetsu jōnin with his kenjutsu. He had also shown a remarkable aptitude for tactics and strategy in their fight, that trick with the genjutsu was ingenious and showed his mentality was also quite advanced.

Those things aside what had really intrigued her was how he had snuck up on her at the start of the training session. Sure his kenjutsu, use of A rank ninjutsu and shunshin were impressive but sneaking up an ANBU like that meant he must be able to completely suppress his chakra. Considering how huge his chakra reserves were his control must be amazing. His use of genjutsu also supported her theory. Those two factors had immediately led her mind to the two the forms of ninjutsu that required high level of chakra control, medical ninjutsu and sensory ninjutsu. She knew little about being a medical nin but she knew enough about sensory ninjutsu to start Naruto off on it. She was by no means an expert and couldn't be classed as a sensor nin but a lot of people in ANBU had an understanding of how the techniques worked, it was a useful skill to have if one had the discipline to learn it. It would also be the perfect supplement for his stealth and chakra suppression abilities. If he mastered it no one would ever be able to sneak up on him.

Focusing back in the present Yūgao found Naruto and an army of clones practicing Fūton: Daitoppa and nailing it perfectly. She smiled at her apprentice, with that many clones and his amazing control, learning ninjtsu would be a cinch.

"Looks like you've got that jutsu pinned down." observed Yūgao.

Naruto smirked before turning to facing his army of clones, he made the hands signs for the jutsu and a huge blast of wind erupted from him bowling over a number of clones.

"I've noticed you don't say the name of the jutsu Naruto," Yūgao observed.

"I sub vocalise. I don't want to give away the nature of my attack."

Yūgao nodded her head at that; it was a good idea, why did ninja yell out their attacks anyway? Looks like she'd have to change her habits.

"Alright dispel your clones Naruto, I want to talk to you about your training."

Naruto nodded his clans and dispelled all his clones before walking over to Yūgao.

"I've given it some thought...your kenjutsu is amazing, all you really need is experience rather than new techniques so I'll be sparring with you for that and I'll see if I can bring one of my friends along sometimes as well, he's probably Konoha's best swordsman. "

"Sounds good to me." remarked Naruto.

"We'll continue to add to your ninjutsu, I can also show you some advanced chakra control exercises that will assist your genjutsu. I'm decent at Genjutsu's but its not my strong point, I've always used Kenjutsu and ninjutsu to defeat my enemies. So instead of focusing of genjutsu I'd rather teach you something else… What I want to know is whether you're interested in learning sensory ninjutsu?"

Yūgao smiled as she watched Naruto's eyes light up as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Now you've got me interested sensei."

* * *

_**Later that night**_

Yūgao stood in front of the Hokage as she gave him her report on Naruto.

"So he can use body flicker without hand signs to the extent that he would be comparable to Shisui Uchiha." said Hokage. The loss of someone as talented as Shisui had been unfortunate; they never got to see what he was truly capable of.

"Yes sir, combined with his kenjutsu skills…it makes for a deadly combination."

"Yes I saw, I still can't believe he was able to go toe to toe with you in a sword fight," said the Hokage, amazed by Naruto's display of skill. He had been watching that fight through his crystal ball.

Yūgao nodded her head, "I was expecting him to be quite good after last night but his level… particularly his speed surprised me. That's not even mentioning the Iaido."

The Hokage agreed, Iaido was rare among shinobi. He had had the chance to fight with Mifune, the sword master from Iron country many years ago so he knew what a competent practitioner of Iaido was capable of. The fact that Naruto was so accomplished at it was astounding; a swordsman could spend a lifetime perfecting that art. It spoke volumes as to the skill of whoever trained him.

"Sir, I was wondering if I could bring Hayate in on Naruto's training? Hayate has wind affinity and the more exposure Naruto gets to different types of kenjutsu the better." Yūgao asked. Seeing as though Naruto was jōnin level with his kenjutsu he really only needed experience and exposure against different kenjutsu users.

"That's fine Yūgao, just make sure he's aware of the conditions, I don't want him talking up Naruto around town just yet."

"Of course Hokage-sama."

"Now moving on, you said you wanted to train Naruto as a sensor." said the Hokage.

"Yes sir, in addition to adding to his ninjutsu I think the best way to improve him as a ninja is to teach him sensory ninjutsu. He has the chakra control for it." replied Yūgao.

"I agree with you Yugao," the Hokage said walking over to his bookshelf, "take these books and scrolls. Have a read then give them to Naruto, they should be all you need to start his training as a sensor nin."

Yūgao took the books and scrolls, "Thank you Hokage-sama."

"If that's all Yūgao you're dismissed. Keep up the good work."

"Um…before I go sir, Naruto brought up some interesting facts about the Uzumaki clan."

The Hokage looked interested at that, "What did he say Yūgao?"

"He said I should look up Uzumaki Mito, and that his clan played an important role in the founding of Konoha…He also implied that Konoha had reneged on some agreement between the clan and the village."

The Hokage let out a sigh, it seemed Naruto had done his research, "Naruto is correct."

"Hokage-sama?"

"The Uzumaki clan has been around since the founding of Konoha. In fact at one point they were arguably the strongest clan in the elemental nations. They originated form Whirlpool country. I knew Mito myself, she was arguably the strongest kunoichi in history. She was so good at Fūinjutsu that she'd make the Yondaime Hokage and Jiraiya the Sanin look like amateurs."

Yugao's eyes widened in surprise at that. Those two were considered masters of Fūinjutsu.

"What most people don't know is that Minato learned most of his Fūinjutsu from his wife Kushina Uzumaki."

"They were Naruto's parents?" Yūgao asked.

The Hokage nodded, "So Naruto told you that did he?"

"Yes, I brought up Kushina and he asked if I knew his mother."

"What most people don't know is that Naruto is the third holder of the Kyuubi. The Kyuubi has been passed down for three generations through the Uzumaki clan."

"How is it that people don't know of this?" Yūgao asked. If this was the case there was no way Naruto should have been treated like he'd been.

"Ah, but people do know Yūgao, while it wasn't exactly common knowledge that Kushina and Mito held the Kyuubi, some of the older council members surely know. It seems people have short memories," said the Hokage with a resigned sigh. "Naruto is correct about Konoha failing that clan. My teachers the Shodai and Nidaime Hokages would be disgusted if they saw how Naruto was treated."

Yūgao didn't know what to say to that, the people of her village had betrayed the very principles the village was founded on.

"Thank you for sharing that with me Hokage-sama."

"Its fine Yūgao, I don't mind reminiscing about better days."

Seeing the Hokage adopt a distant look she decided it was time to leave, "If that's all Hokage-sama I'll take my leave."

The Hokage nodded his head and Yūgao disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

_**Later that week (5)**_

Iruka sighed as he waited outside the door to the classroom; the brats were making a racket again. He could hear Sakura and Ino arguing over Sasuke like they did everyday, he'd hoped they'd have grown out of their fan girl tendencies now that they were genin but apparently not. Their respective sensei would have to break that out of them. _I don't envy them…_

He stifled a yawn. _Damn I'm tired, _he thought. He'd spent the last few days in hospital getting patched up the doctors. The doctors didn't want to discharge him but he insisted; his wounds weren't too bad, he'd be walking with a limp for a few weeks though.

Of course thinking about his injuries invariably brought his thoughts to that night and Naruto. That had been a startling revelation, to think that Naruto would be so talented. He wasn't sure what to make of it, part of him was annoyed that Naruto had obviously been lying to him all these years while the other part was proud that he had become strong despite all the obstacles in his path. He knew that the other teacher's sabotaged his learning. There wasn't much he could do about it unless he caught them in the act, so he was happy that Naruto had come up with his own solution to the problem.

Before he had been discharged the Hokage had briefed him on the changes that had resulted from Mizuki's actions the other night. Naruto would no longer be on Team 7 and would instead be taking an apprenticeship under Uzuki Yūgao. He thought that was a wise move, the skills displayed by Naruto last night put him miles ahead of the rest of his class, even ahead of most chūnin. The Hokage had ordered him not to bring up Naruto's new allocation or talk about his skills unless absolutely necessary; he didn't want the council interfering with the boy's education.

With a tired sigh Iruka steeled himself for another hard day of teaching and entered the room. He walked to the front of the classroom and observed his students. Looking around the room he couldn't spot regular Naruto or the scary version of him anywhere. That wasn't surprising since Naruto already knew who his sensei was; they were probably training already. He twitched as he noticed he was being ignored by the class, "BE QUIET!" he yelled while utilizing his big demonic head jutsu to quell the brats into submission.

The class fell immediately silent. _He he, works every time, _thought Iruka.

"All right, you're all genin now so start acting like it." he said.

Seeing that he had everyone's attention, "Starting today, all of you are shinobi…but you are still genin, its only the start of your journey. Soon you will get missions to help the village, so today we will create 3 man teams and each team will have a jōnin sensei."

Iruka finished the rest of his introduction speech before moving onto team placements.

"Next is team 7. Haruno Sakura , Uchiha Sasuke and Sai."

"Hell Yes!" Sakura screamed.

Sasuke and the home-schooled kid Sai just looked bored.

"Team 8: Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuga Hinata, and Aburame Shino."

"Team 9 is already in rotation, so Team 10 will be: Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choiji and Yamanaka Ino."

Iruka frowned as he finished the team placement, not a single person had asked where Naruto was. Didn't he have a single friend? Sasuke had looked around perplexed for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders. Hinata kept trying to find him but had no success and she was too shy to put up her hand and ask where Naruto was. The rest of the class seemed too distracted by their team allocations to bother with finding out what happened to the 'dead last'.

He sighed again, "Wait here, your Jōnin sensei's will be along shortly."

As soon as he finished Iruka moved out of the classroom, he had a bunch of paperwork to complete after his extended stay in hospital.

* * *

Meanwhile Naruto stood still, sword drawn on guard five paces from a male jōnin who mirrored Naruto's stance perfectly.

The jōnin moved first, darting at Naruto with impressive speed. The jōnin slashed at Naruto's right, Naruto evaded and replied with a sharp cut at the Jonin's leg. The jōnin rolled away before launching a counter attack with a barrage of sword strikes. Naruto parried most of the attacks and just as the jōnin look like he was about to break through Naruto's guard he body flickered out of the way.

Both figures stood still examining each other. Naruto the younger of the two didn't look winded in the slightest while the Jōnin, Gekkō Hayate looked to be struggling for breath.

"(Cough)…Not bad kid, but Yūgao says you know Iaido, so lets see it already," said Hayate.

"Iaido?"

"Yes Iaido."

"I don't know Iaido," said Naruto.

"What?" Hayte turned to Yugao who was standing to the side observing them. "You said he knew Iaido."

Yugao looked at Naruto, "He does. You've been using it regularly since we started training Naruto."

"Oh you mean my draw. That's a combination of Battojutsu and Iaijutsu. Not Iaido."

"What's the difference?" Hayate asked.

"As I understand it they're both precursors to Iaido. They both involve the art of drawing the blade but there's a difference in style. Battojutsu is aggressive and involves drawing the sword and following it up with a range of attacks. Iaijutsu is all about the draw, you use it as a counter and draw the blade once before sheathing it. My Kenjutsu style utilises both," explained Naruto.

"Precursor? So they're older then Iaido?" Yugao asked. Both her and Hayate were listening intently.

"Yes, much older. I haven't met any Iaido users so I can't comment on the differences...if there are any," said Naruto.

"Where the hell did you learn a style older than Iaido?" Asked Hayate. Iaido was a Samurai art and Samurai techniques were generally older than ninja ones since Ninja only rose to prominence after the first shinobi war.

Naruto shrugged, "My teacher was a great sword user. She made sure I was well educated."

"So...can I see this Batjutsu?" Hayet asked.

Naruto twitched, "Battojutsu moron. Are you sure, you look like you're about to keel over," said Naruto, a smirk appearing on his face.

"(Cough)…Out with it kid."

Naruto smiled and changed his footwork, moving into his Battojutsu stance; knees bent, left hand on his sheath near the guard, right hand on the grip of his katana.

Hayate moved forward heading straight for Naruto. Naruto waited until he was in range of his draw before unleashing his blade, meeting Hayate's attack head on blowing the jonin's stance right open before moving inside his guard and leveling his katana straight at Hayate's neck.

"(Cough)…Not bad, not bad at all. (Cough)…definitely better off dodging that than trying to meet it head on," observed Hayate.

"That's the option Yūgao-sensei took…you know you're not bad yourself half-dead guy," said Naruto.

"Yeah…the name's Hayate kid."

"Yeah, but I've never been good with names, and most people's aren't worth remembering, so for the time being I'm calling you half-dead guy. "

"You call Yugao by her name…cough." said Hayate with a twitch appearing in his right eye.

"But I like her, and you look like you're going to be dead by next week anyway so there's no point in remembering it. By the way…that's not contagious is it?" Naruto asked.

"…Fuck you…(cough)," replied Hayate.

"All right, that's enough dick measuring from you two. Naruto stop provoking Hayate, and Hayate stop falling for it," said Yūgao.

"Alright I've seen enough anyway," said Hayate as he turned to Yūgao who had been observing the spar from the sidelines. "Your kid has got talent Yūgao, there hasn't been anyone this talented with the sword since we were young…(cough)...not unless you count Itachi...(cough)... but he always preferred his genjutsu."

"So how about it Hayate, will you teach Naruto Mikazuki no Mai (Dance of the Crescent Moon) ?" Yūgao asked.

Hayate gave a shrug, "We'll see, I'll start by showing him my kenjutsu, if it goes well then sure, I'll show him. (Cough)…Whether he learns it depends on how we'll he adapts to the forms…(cough)."

"Alright Naruto why don't you go and work on those sensor exercises I'd showed you yesterday. Hayate and I are going to start working on your teaching program." directed Yūgao.

"Got it sensei," said Naruto before body flickering away in a cloud of red mist.

"Is that… blood?" Hayate asked.

"I don't think I want to know." Yugao replied.

* * *

The respective Jonin-sensei minus Yugao stood in front of the Hokage ready to give their reports. Each had just come from their individual teams genin tests.

"Team 6 failed"

"Team 7 passed," said Kakashi.

All the Jōnin present looked surprised that Kakashi had actually passed his team; to date no team had passed that bell test of his.

Kakashi seeing the surprised looks form the Jōnin explained, "There's some issues there but the team has potential. Sakura is pretty much useless in the field and will only follow Sasuke around, but she has excellent chakra control and potential as a medic or genjutsu user. Sasuke's talented but has an arrogant streak and doesn't want to work with anyone. Sai was actually the one who got them to pass since he figured out that teamwork was the point of the exercise. At this stage he seems the most ready out of the three for actual ninja work."

"Alright, what about Team 8 Kurenai?" The Hokage asked.

"Passed. Kiba's a bit arrogant and a pervert but once I beat that out of him he'll make a good shinobi. Hinata has major confidence issues but I'm confident I can fix that. Shino was very good all round."

"Team 10?"

"Passed, Choji will make a decent shinobi as long he focuses on work instead of food. Ino's a fan girl but she has potential. Shikimaru's lazy but he'll make a good ninja. I'm going to give him an IQ test, I'm pretty sure he's a genius like his dad." said Asuma.

"Hokage-sama, do you mind me asking, why was my team changed at the last minute?" Kakashi asked.

The Hokage cursed, _Damn, no doubt Kakashi's wondering why his sensei's son wasn't given to him to train. But since when has Kakashi cared about what Naruto does, he hasn't showed much interest in him before…Just my luck. I'm too old for this __shit__._

"Naruto got re-assigned, that's all I'll say for now. He passed his test if you must know, with flying colours I might add."

That got a few raised eyebrows, especially from Kurenai, she had heard the boy was useless, unfit to be shinobi.

Hoping no one would raise any further questions the Hokage decided to dismiss the jōnin,"That's all for today, you're dismissed."

Kakashi looked like he wanted to protest and decided not to follow the rest of the Jonin out of the room. The Hokage frowned thinking of the other Jonin's reactions to Naruto. It was clear none of them except Kakashi wanted Naruto on their team, and he had doubts about Kakashi's sinceity as well — the man had never been all that interested in Naruto hoped that they would be able to look underneath what was written in the academy reports. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out the authors of those reports were highly prejudiced against Naruto. He smiled in anticipation; he couldn't wait to see the look on their faces when Naruto showed them his skills. The chūnin exams will sure be interesting this year.

The Hokage breathed a sigh of relief as the Jōnin left his room before turning to Kakashi. He was pretty sure Kakashi was suspicious, the man didn't get to be ANBU Captain for nothing and removing a genin of the team even before the first training session was highly unusual.

"Yes Kakashi-kun?"

"Can you tell me what's really going on?"

"Someone volunteered to be Naruto's instructor."

Kakashi briefly showed surprise,"What?"

"That's all I will save for now. Naruto is in good hands. It's for the best anyway, you know as well as I do Kakashi that the council will be pressuring you to focus on Sasuke. You likely wouldn't have had the time to give Naruto the attention he deserved."

Kakashi looked like he wanted to challenge that but couldn't since the council, especially the elders had indeed been pressuring him to train Sasuke in private.

"Yes Hokage-sama." said Kakashi as he left the room.

The Hokage didn't think that would be the last he heard of this from Kakashi. No doubt the former ANBU Captain would think something was up. Fortunately for him Kakashi would distracted by his team's duties for a while.

* * *

Yūgao, Anko and Kurenai met for lunch at the dango stand like they did most days. Kurenai and Yugao wouldn't mind going elsewhere for a change but Anko was quite insistent on always having dango. Yūgao didn't mind, at least she got a discount because of it.

Yūgao had left Naruto to torture Hayate while she went off to grab a bite to eat and catch up with her friends. She pushed back the guilt she was feeling; something about Hayate seemed to bring out Naruto's sadistic side. She had little doubt that right now Naruto was beating the crap out of her boyfriend.

"So Nai-chan, word is your team passed." said Anko in between shoving dango into her mouth.

"They did fine Anko." Kurenai replied.

"Really, call me skeptical but I find it hard to believe that they did okay with that horn dog of an Inuzuka running around that shy littlle Hyuga girl. You're probably going to have to get him neutered you know." said Anko.

"Most genin that come out of the academy with some bad habits Anko, you know that." said Yūgao.

"Pfft"

"That's right Anko…and I got the team I wanted anyway." said Kurenai.

"Really? You never found your mysterious savior did you Nai-chan? I'm sure you would have preferred to be teaching him, and not just on the training field, am I right?" Anko asked, almost cackling with glee as she saw a blush appear on Kurenai's face.

'ANKO!" yelled Kurenai, indignant at what Anko was implying.

As Anko was teasing Kurenai something clicked in Yūgao's mind, _long blonde hair, blue eyes, super stealth, crazy sword skills…Naruto! Kurenai's fantasy boy was Naruto!_

Anko and Yūgao had been teasing Kurenai about her obsession with finding her mysterious savior for years and it turns out he was Yūgao's new student.

_Wait…this meets Naruto has already killed!_ Thought Yugao in surprise before she sweat dropped, _Wait__ what am I thinking of course he's killed, _the image of Naruto clinically torturing Mizuki and the head of Aoi came to mind, _Yep__, he's definitely got blood on his hands._

"No Anko I never did find him, he must have been a foreign ninja passing through," Kurenai said in disappointment.

It took all of her will power not to spill the beans to Kurenai right then, but the Hokage would be pissed off after expressly telling her to keep Naruto's abilities quiet. She had already blabbed to Anko, she didn't think she'd be allowed another chance.

"So Yūgao, heard anything else about Konoha's newest super genin? Anko asked.

Yūgao just glared at Anko, "That's need to know Anko and Anko…you-don't-need-to-know."

"Fine be that way, still you should introduce me, I could teach N-"

Yūgao clamped her hand over Anko's mouth, "Damn it Anko it's classified!"

Kurenai just looked confused at her friends." What are you two on about?"

"Nothing Kurenai, just some ANBU stuff that happened the other day, something Anko shouldn't be talking about in public," said Yūgao with a pointed look at Anko.

Anko put both her hands up in a placating gesture, "Alright Yūgao, sheesh you don't have to bite my head off."

Yūgao just rolled her eyes at Anko being Anko. "Alright you two, thanks for lunch but I have to get back to work," said Yūgao moving to leave.

"See you Yūgao," said Kurenai, while Anko just waived, her mouth full of dango.

* * *

Yūgao returned to training ground 21 to find a battered Hayate lying on his back and Naruto standing next to him looking no worse for wear.

"What happened you?" Yūgao asked standing over Hayate.

"Your apprentice happened." replied Hayate, before groaning and getting up.

Yūgao raised an eyebrow at Naruto who just smiled at her, "Your boyfriend had trouble keeping up."

"Cough…the gaki's been spamming those wind blades from his sword. Cough…I almost died like five times…cough."

"Hmm…oh well you survived to live another day Hayate, just think of this as practice in case you ever fight a suna nin. Why don't you go have a rest I'll take over." said Yūgao. Silently laughing at Hayate, he'd been dodging wind blades while she'd been eating dango.

"Alright…cough…see you later Yūgao...gaki." said Hayate before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"So Naruto can you channel lightning as well?" Yūgao asked her apprentice.

Naruto smirked before channeling lighting into his katana, "Of course I can."

_**5 hours later**_

Yugao stood with her hands on her knees taking in heavy breaths.

"Alright… Naruto, let's… call... it a day… I'm stuffed," said Yūgao, in between deep breaths.

"You sure sensei? I could go another round," replied Naruto watching his sensei with amusement.

"Damn Naruto, how much stamina do you have?" Yūgao asked, she couldn't believe Naruto still wasn't tired. They had sparred for an hour before stopping to work on some advanced chakra control exercises for Naruto's sensory ninjutsu. After that they had worked on his ninjutsu before sparring again for another hour or so.

"More than you apparently." Naruto quipped.

"Ha ha, alright Naruto what do you want to have dinner? My treat."

"Your paying, you sure?" Naruto asked.

"Yep, anything you want," replied Yūgao.

_**30 minutes later**_

Naruto and Yūgao entered Ichiraku ramen. Naruto wore a nostalgic smile on his face while Yūgao was wishing she had taken the time to have a wash before going out to dinner with her apprentice.

"Ramen Naruto?" Yūgao asked, surprised Naruto didn't want to go some place higher class.

Naruto shrugged, "I haven't been here in a while personally, and they're the only two of the people I actually trust in this village. To date they're still the only people who will serve me without over charging me or spitting in my food."

Yūgao tried not to flinch at that statement, but she understood after protecting Naruto through his early childhood, most of the villagers wouldn't hesitate to kill him if they had the chance. She couldn't help but feel down, the Hokage was right, they would lose Naruto if things stayed the way they were. The village couldn't afford to lose the next's generation greatest talent, especially after losing Itachi. Yūgao sighed, it only made her task all the more important.

"What can I get you two?" Ayame asked, after the two were seated.

Naruto motioned for Yūgao to order first.

"I'll have one vegetable ramen please," ordered Yūgao.

"I'll have seven orders of tonkatsu ramen," ordered Naruto.

Yūgao's eyes bulged, _Seven!_

"Where do you think I get my stamina from?" said Naruto seeing Yūgao's reaction.

Yūgao just shook her head, "I'm never treating you ever again."

Ayame looked confused," But that's Naruto's-"

Before Ayame finished her sentence Naruto removed his hood. "It's been a while, Ayame-chan" said Naruto giving her a small smile.

"Naruto...Is that you?" Ayame asked, a small blush appearing on her face.

Yūgao smirked, Naruto would be turning more than a few female's head if he started walking around without that hood of his.

"In the flesh." replied Naruto.

"Dad, Naruto's here…I think." yelled Ayame.

"Naruto?" said Teuchi coming out from the Kitchen.

"Hello Teuchi-ojisan" said Naruto.

"Is that you Naruto?" Teuchi asked, seeing Naruto not dressed in his usual orange, and looking quite different.

Naruto just nodded his head, "Forgive the deception, it wasn't safe for me to display my usual self inside the village. I've been coming here under a genjutsu for some time. Now that I'm a shinobi…well...lets just say there's no longer any need for the illusion."

Teuchi nodded his head in understanding. Naruto had been coming to this stand ever since Ayame brought him as a four year old. She had seen him searching for food in a trash can and brought him in for a free meal. Naruto was always a very bright child; he always found it hard to believe he would fail the academy three times. No doubt the teachers there were treating him as bad as the rest of the village.

Teuchi was about to reply when Iruka entered the Ramen stand.

"Hey Naruto, Yūgao-san," greeted Iruka seeing Naruto and Yūgao sitting down.

"Iruka-san," greeted Yūgao.

"Scar face," greeted Naruto.

Iruka twitched at Naruto's greeting. It seemed Naruto calling 'scar face' was permanent. With a sigh he took a seat next to Yugao.

"So Yūgao-san, how is Naruto's training going?" Iruka asked.

"Good Iruka-san, I've started training Naruto in sensory ninjutsu."

"Sensory ninjutsu?" Iruka asked curious as sensory ninjutsu required a huge amount of chakra control.

"If you haven't realized it yet scar face, I could do a bunshin before I even started attending the academy. Failing three times was my own choice, not due to incompetence." said Naruto.

Iruka could only nod his head, it seemed he never really did know Naruto all that well, though scary Naruto didn't seem to hate him. He cringed when he looked back on how he used to treat Naruto. He was no better than the villagers back when Naruto first started, he treated Naruto like he was the fox and took his anger at losing his parents out on him. He had apologized to Naruto on numerous occasions for his past behaviour but he was still ashamed whenever he thought about it.

"So scar face, I'm surprised you're out of hospital so early, you were in pretty bad shape a few days ago."

"Yeah, I'm still sore but it wasn't as bad as it looked." replied Iruka.

"Uh ha, does that mean you were just pretending to be injured so you could relax and let me do all the work?" Naruto teased.

"Wha…of course not Naruto I had a shuriken in my stomach, that hurts you know!" said an indignant Iruka.

"I wouldn't know, I generally move out of the way when someone throws one at me."

"Why yo-"

"Calm down Iruka, he's just doing it to get a rise out of you. He's been doing the same thing to Hayate for the last couple of days and like him you're falling for it,. said Yūgao before Iruka let Naruto provoke him further.

"Why sensei, I didn't know you keeping such a close eye on me. You know...sexual relations between student and teacher are generally frowned upon."

Yugao almost choked on the miso she was been drinking when Naruto said that.

Yugao turned to Naruto who was laughing his ass off, "Do you get some sort of pleasure from pissing people off?"

"_**Yep!" **_piped in Kurama

_Quiet you _Naruto sub vocalized.

"Maybe, its interesting to see how easily supposedly experienced shinobi fall to basic provocation." replied Naruto.

"Are you documenting our reactions or something?"

"Now there's an idea…why didn't I think of that."

Yugao only sighed as she waited for her apprentice to finish gorging himself. _There goes the pay from my last mission _thought Yūgao.

The three on them sat around for about forty minutes after they finished dinner. Naruto caught up with Ayame and Teuchi while Yugao filled Iruka in on Naruto training since he was one of the few 'in the know' about Naruto's abilities. Ayame and Teuchi while initially surprised at Naruto's new look and temperament but took it in stride, it seemed they really were his only true friends. When they were done Naruto excused himself before disappearing in a red cloud of mist.

"Is that blood?" Iruka asked.

"Don't ask." was Yugao's reply.

* * *

Like always Naruto appeared in front of the brass gate to find Kurama waiting for him. Like always she was naked and beautiful, too beautiful. While Akeginu was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen Kurama's beauty eclipsed even hers but it was an unnatural beauty, there was something artificial about, something distinctly inhuman.

_"__**So what do I owe the pleasure, my host?"**_

"I want to talk about our agreement," said Naruto.

"_**Ah, so you're interested in some of my other abilities Naruto-kun," **_said Kurama.

"I'll admit you have me curious." said Naruto.

"_**So what are we to discuss? Genjutsu? Shape-shifting? Or is it my knowledge you want?"**_

"Genjutsu for now,.

"_**I don't mind showing you my genjutsu Naruto-kun, I'll even teach you but you'll owe me."**_

"Owe you what?"

_**"One favor that I can cash in at any time I want."**_

Naruto froze, "No, the only way I would owe you anything is with heavy limitations in place."

"_**That's fine Na-ru-to-kun. I won't ask you to do anything too…arduous."**_ said Kurama, a sly smile gracing her face. Naruto didn't like it when she made that face, it meant she was getting what she wanted.

"I won't take the seal off." said Naruto.

"_**I wasn't going to use my favour on that."**_ said Kurama.

"I also won't accept anything that would injure Akeginu or myself." said Naruto.

"_**I figured as much, after all that **__**woman**__** and yourself are the only things you actually care about. Don't concern yourself Naruto-kun I wouldn't ask you to injure yourself or your sensei, where's the value in that?"**_ said Kurama, her smile getting bigger with every word.

After a few moments of consideration he conceded, "Fine then." He could actually hear thunder as he said those words. _I'm so going to regret this._

_"_**_Good, now come over _****_here._****"** she said making a come hither motion with her hand, Naruto walked up to the gate hesitantly not wanting to get too close to her.

"_**That'll do."**_

As soon as the words left her lips, her form began to liquefy allowing her to squeeze through the gates before reforming into her human form.

Naruto took a cautious step backwards and prepared to activate his mystic eyes, he didn't know she could do that.

"_**Relax my host, the seals still intact, the majority of my power in still trapped behind the seal, and I wouldn't be able to resist your mystic eyes without it."**_

"How are you doing this?"

"_**Shape-shifting, and the fact that you've used enough of my chakra to allow me some influence outside the seal."**_

Seeing Naruto confused look Kurama decided to explicate, _**"I can change my makeup at a molecular level . That and the fact that you've started using my power to heal and constantly regenerate your cells means I can exist for a time outside the seal."**_

"What now?"

"_**Now certain…customs must be adhered to if I'm to give you the ability to use my genjutsu. Exchanges must be made. "**_

"What type of exchanges?

Kurama looked at him, eyes half lidded with desire.

_Shit _thought Naruto. He didn't think offending the Kyuubi by rejecting her would be good for his health but he really didn't want his first sexual experience to be with a Yokai, no matter how hot she was.

Before he could force an opinion on the matter Kurama was directly in front of him. He briefly wondered how she could move so fast if the majority of her power was stuck behind the gate, but those thoughts were quickly washed away as Kurama yanked his face down to meet her lips.

The first kiss was tender, her tongue invaded his mouth and it was delicious, enjoyable until he felt her fang piece through his lip. Before he could so much as wince in pain Kurama flung him to the ground in an impressive display of strength.

He tried to put up some form of resistance, he really did, but his senses were being flooded with her scent, the sweet intoxicated smell of honey, it was over powering, he could practically taste her in the air.

Kurama morphed her fingers into razor sharp claws and ripped off his clothes before straddling him. _**"Now… I take you," **_said Kurama as she licked his blood off her lips.

Naruto went to say something but she slapped him _hard_ with her clawed hand cutting his face. _**"Shut up, and enjoy this."**_

Over the next several hours Naruto experienced both pleasure and pain. For every feeling of pleasure he felt there there would be a bite, a dragging of claws across his skin, and tuff of hair pulled out, she even punched him once.

Kurama wasn't a quiet participant either; there was a lot of moaning and screaming on her end, as well as some babbling in languages he didn't understand. Between his various climaxes he realized she was actually doing some sort of ancient ritual but he couldn't make heads or tails of it. He lost count of how many hours she was riding him but eventually she declared that she was finished and got off him. Leaving him lying on the ground exhausted and bloody.

"Ow, that hurt." he quietly whimpered.

"_**You weren't complaining five minutes ago."**_

"There was a whole lot more biting and hitting than I thought there would be." commented Naruto while examining the wounds on his neck and shoulder. He had just spent an entire day training with Hayate and Yūgao but the last few hours with Kurama had left him more drained than anything he did with them.

Kurama just shrugged, "You're welcome."

"For what?"

"_**The genjutsu of course."**_ said Kurama, her tone making it clear she thought it was a stupid question.

"This was the exchange?" Naruto asked.

"_**Yes, a symbolic exchange of fluids and some primal energies. You **__**can now**__** use my genjutsu. Usually more would be required but since I'm already technically inside you the seal will do the rest of the work. We could have done a blood exchange, I drink yours, you drink mine but I think this way is more fun, don't you?"**_

"Maybe…I don't know. I still can't work out if that was amazing or excruciating."

Kurama laughed at that, it was a disturbing sound. He really wished she would change her vocal chords when she shifted, that flanging sound was scary.

"_**We'll start training tomorrow, it'll take you awhile to adjust to my way of doing genjutsu but from now on the necessary amendments have been made to your body."**_

"What did you do to my body?"

"_**We'll discuss it tomorrow, you're too tired to be of any use and I demand an attentive audience.**_

Naruto could only sigh at the dismissal. He had got what he wanted even though tonight had turned out differently than he had expected. Only time would tell if he would regret giving the Kyuubi that favour.

* * *

**_Foot Notes_**

**_(1) I'm not sure if she used a chokuto or a _****_kodachi_****_ but _****_most_****_ sword fighters don't put a katana on their back so for this fic she used a single edged straight blade._**

**_(2) Remember Naruto was taught Akeginu's style first before being introduced to Tenzen's and Iado. Think of Akeginu's style as an acrobatic one handed style (since she uses the shorter blade)._**

**_(3) Hayate the creator of the attack, but Yugao also knows it._**

**_(4) Correct me if I'm wrong but we never find out her affinity in the manga, so for the purposes of this fic her affinities are Fire and Earth._**

**_(5) Like Baki's techniques only from a sword. You see similar attacks in a lot of manga._**

**_(6) I wasn't sure of the exact timing of this meeting, but since Iruka was seriously injured for him to be present I made it later in the week._**

* * *

_**And there goes what was left of Naruto's innocence. As I said before its not a femkyuubi pairing, she more or less will take what she wants from him, sex or otherwise. Moving on, Kurama now has significant leverage over Naruto in the form of that rather open ended favour. The genjutsu is a powerful ability (more details next chapter) but only time will tell if it was worth it. I suppose it will come down to what Kurama asked of him. The favour could function as insurance to make sure Naruto kills Obito but Kurama's smart and will likely work out that they'll come into conflict without any influence on her part. Will she use it to make Naruto eradicate the Uchiha clan? Get rid of the Sharingan for good? Or maybe she'll want any Uzumaki's gone, after all it seems their chakra is needed to properly contain her. Whatever the case it adds an interesting dynamic to their already complex relationship.**_

_**I added sensor abilities to **__**Naruto's**__** build because it supplements his skills pretty well. He can already suppress his chakra so it's a **__**natural**__** progression and it supports his silent killing and blood mist. As **__**I've**__** said before the jutsu Naruto will use will either enhance or support his Basilisk abilities. Although he's learning ninjutsu he won't use a lot of it.**_

_**I'm still not sure about how I'm going to write Kakashi (that's why he only featured shortly here). In canon his actions during part 1 are negligent in the extreme in regards to his treatment of Naruto, almost to the point where one wonders if it was intentional. Though tha doesn't make much sense either since he is skilled at Fūinjutsu and knows Naruto is only a container for the fox. Thoughts? Should Kakashi have a harmful or beneficial interest in Naruto? You'll see more interaction between them during Wave.**_

_**I decided to leave out Naruto meeting the rest of the rookies until chunin exams. He'll meet team 7 durring wave but I think the chunin exams will be a more dramatic stage for the surprise than the classroom.**_

_**Tune in next chapter for Yugao and Naruto's mission and the start of the Wave arc.**_


	9. Chapter 9 - Naruto's Genin Life

**Chapter 9 – Naruto's Genin Life**

_**Hey people, Tibo here.**_

_**Yea! Last chapter had the most reviews yet – 51. Keep posting I do read the reviews and try to provide feedback where appropriate.**_

_**So, the idea of chapter is to show how Yugao and Naruto work as a team, introduce Naruto's new Kyuubi genjutsu enhancement and lay some groundwork for the wave arc which will start next chapter.**_

_**I've had some expressions of interest in regard to Kushina so I wanted to open it up for discussion. Do you guys want her to be alive or the standard part of her souls inside the seal route? Having her alive adds some nice drama and I don't mind the fics where she's still round. I wouldn't bring her into it till after he leaves Konoha. Also I wouldn't have her hate Naruto since its irrational, so the options would be a coma (Danzo), abandonment (PSTD or something/maybe sister) , or believes Naruto to be dead.**_

_**In response to some reviews/questions**_:

**_Hakka the Great: _**Interesting point you raise with Naruto's emotional development. To date Akeginu has been more like an older sister to Naruto, but Naruto's emotional development was already severally stunted due to his childhood (though it would had been worse without Akeginu). I writing him as having trouble understanding emotions and forming emotional connections to people though I haven't really illustrated this yet , I plan to do so with Hayate's death (yes he will still die and it will be the first time Naruto has really lost someone he knows).

Morals? He's a bit bloodthirsty (as you'd expect since he's been raised by Akeginu eg. Mizuki) and he won't see anything wrong with most actions that go towards completing a mission or defeating an opponent. I suppose he'll react badly to seeing people being treated similarly to how he was (remember the slave trader). As he said last chapter he doesn't like seeing people abused for no reason.

Hit the 50 000 views mark while I was writing this, 15000 plus for chapter 1, an average of about 5000 for the other chapters.

**_Stormbringers Fury :_ **It wasn't my intention to make him condescending to Yugao and Hayate, if anything intended the exact opposite. That's why I made Naruto act casual around them (i.e. with the joke making etc). I'm pretty sure Naruto never insulted either of his new senseis (seriously) . Sounds like I need to work on getting that across better in my writing, its probably a 'tone' thing.

**Mommerally:  **I think I will have Yugao learn a few things from Naruto, though not straight away. In regards to Kushina and the Kyuubi being public knowledge that was my mistake with my loose expression, I meant to refer to the council and the fact that it wasn't an S class secret. Will probably fix that at some point.

I'm leaning towards indifference with Kakashi. Reading canon it just looks like he just doesn't give a shit about Naruto (that being generous to him as del you easily interpret his actions as intentional sabotage).

**_Cold Blue: _**

**- (**Also **Mommerally**)As to Naruto's weakness, well I said from the get go my Naruto will be extremely strong, and I can't see him losing many battles (if any). You've seen my profile on him, hopefully that'll give you a better idea. His main weakness is Taijutsu (he knows it but is only around high chunin but then again he uses kenjutsu for close quarter, so that weakness is mitigated) and ninjutsu (he only knows a few, though Blood mist and Kamaitachi are high quality. Relying on ninjutsu requires a reasonable large arsenal especially if you use elemental ones.) Obsviously he still not fully physically developed either, Orochimaru will be faster than him (so going up against him using kenjutsu would be a poor idea), he'll have to use his full complement of Iga techniques to fight Orochimaru. But his mystic eyes even the battle up a far bit. I can also see him being out manoeuvred tactically by someone like Orochimaru.

**_Zweig: _**Akeginu will get Okoi's ability, see my profile for details. Not sure about Samui, she is one of my favourite Kunoichi in the series so I'll consider it. Tune in next couple of chapters for Naruto v Zabuza,, Blood mist v Hidden mist.

**_Roboguy45: _**There will be major jaw droppage during chunin. I'm sure you can imagine how Naruto v Kiba will turn out. I don't think the eyes will become public, there a major advantage so it makes sense for them to remain secret. Eventually it'll get around that he can neutralise jutsu but they still won't know how, though Itachi may work it out if everytime he looks into Naruto's eyes his sharingan fucks up. But he probably won't spread that info around.

**_Serialkiller: _**I took Kurenai off the intro because I'm still undecided about her, the ones up there a definite. As it stands I'm having Kurenai develop an interest in Naruto but I'm not sure whether Naruto will act on it yet because of her attitude towards the clone version of him.

No changes to his body, see rest of this chapter for the explanation of the Kitsune genjutsu.

**_Kamen Rider_ Arashi:** I was going for disturbing. Kurama in canon sort of like a stuffed animal once you get past the hatred, I'm trying to make a more complex and darker (though not evil) Kurama.

**_Rikudou Naruto: _**He will have the butterfly summons, see my profile for details. Hotaru Bi will be involved.

**_Caliko: _**Thanks for spotting the mistake, I made the amendment.

* * *

**[standard disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Basilisk]**

It was early morning in Konoha and the sun was just starting to climb over the trees at Training ground 21. In the morning light Naruto moved through various Katas with Hayate watching on intently, observing Naruto, looking for any mistake in his form but finding none.

"That's…cough…good Naruto. Your form is pretty good…cough…I think we can move on…cough...to trying the attack with the…cough…shadow clones," said Hayate.

Mikazuki no Mai, the Dance of the Crescent Moon was an multi-directional attack that utilized shadow clones to simultaneously attack an opponents blind spots with the intent of finishing them in a single lethal attack. It was a tricky technique because it relied heavily of timing and perfect forms. Perfecting it took years to master, though with Naruto's aptitude for the sword and use of shadow clones he'd have down perfectly in a few months.

Hayate moved to the centre of the training ground, he was now several meters in front of Naruto. "All right…cough…make three shadow clones," he told Naruto.

Naruto immediately created three shadow clones and moved then behind Hayate, one directly behind him, the other two positioned at the left and right blind spots respectively.

"Move the left clone a meter to the left…cough," instructed Hayate.

Seeing Naruto's clone comply with the instruction. Hayate explained," It'll take some experience before you can position those clones perfectly…cough. Remember…cough…that every person has a different field of vision…cough. Some people's peripheral vision is stronger than others…cough… and I don't have to tell you that the technique…cough…looses its effectiveness against the Byakugan.

"Make sense," said Naruto, who had only limited experience with the Hyuga clan, mostly in the form of one of the clan members beating him and practicing that martial art of theirs on him as a child.

"Alright…cough…go for it kid."

As soon as the words left Hayate's mouth Naruto and his clones sprinted simultaneously towards Hayate, dancing through the elegant forms in an orbital pattern before each of them attacked Hayate striking at his upper body.

Hayate watched Naruto intently, analyzing his movements carefully before substituting himself with a log at the last minute. He appeared several meters to the left of where Naruto and his clones had just impaled the log from four different angles.

"Good Naruto…just need to tighten up those movements…and work on fluidity. Your much better than Yūgao when she started. Cough…don't tell her I said that…cough."

"Don't tell me what?" Yūgao asked.

"Cough…shit…cough."

* * *

Yūgao had arrived at training ground 21 a bit earlier than expected to see Naruto executing the Dance of the Crescent Moon. She wasn't surprised that he was already at an accomplished level; with that Taju Kage Buunshin technique he could learn techniques at a rate of s hundred times faster than a regular shinobi.

_Hmm, Naruto and Hayate must be getting along pretty well if Hayate's already showing him his signature technique. _

She walked over to the two of them and caught the last part of Hayate and Naruto's conversation.

"Cough…don't tell her I said that..cough," said Hayate.

"Don't tell me what?" Yūgao asked.

"Cough…shit…cough."

"You're in trouble now Hayate," said Naruto, he was struggling to stop himself from laughing at Hayate's expense.

"Damn it Naruto…why didn't you tell me she was behind me…cough."

Naruto just shrugged his shoulders and kept smiling at Hayate, "My own amusement."

"Cough…bastard…cough."

"I'm surprised your showing him your signature move so early Hayate."

Hayate shrugged, "The kid said he'd teach me Iaido so its a fair trade."

Yugao looked at Naruto,"What about me?"

"Do you have any signature moves to trade sensei...any original juts?" Naruto asked.

"They don't grow on trees Naruto," said Yugao.

Naruto gave her a shrug, "Then you'll have to wait for Hayate to get it down, maybe he'll teach you."

Yugao let out a sigh, she wasn't done trying to get him to teach her that just yet.

"Weren't you supposed to be working on Naruto wind nature transformation Hayate?" Yūgao asked looking at her boyfriend.

"Cough…I am," Hayate said and pointed behind Yoga to the far side of the training ground, "It took some doing too…the kids not that interested in ninjutsu…cough."

Yugao sweatdropped as she looked over to see hundreds of Naruto clones killing each other with various wind ninjutsus in an all out battle. One of the Naruto's used Futon: Daitoppa ripping up several trees and sending them careering into a group of clones. _All right, that was crazy powerful, _thought Yugao. She then shook her head; they were making a huge mess of the training ground though.

_Tch…typical boys, I leave them alone for 10 minutes and they destroy an entire training ground._

"Alright Naruto dispel your clones, it looks like they're re enacting the third shinobi war over there."

Naruto laughed at her remark before dispelling his army of shadow clones.

"We'll have to cut your training short today Naruto, the Hokage's got a mission for us," said Yūgao.

"Real ninja work?" Naruto asked.

"Yes Naruto 'real ninja work'. Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Just checking. I keep expecting you to pull a D rank mission on me," replied Naruto, before cringing at the thought of doing a D rank mission.

Yūgao shook her head as she remembered the first time she had brought up D rank missions with Naruto. Over the last couple of months Yūgao and Naruto had completed a number of C rank missions together, even one B rank which involved delivering a sensitive package to the border of lightning country for exchange with some Kumo nin. They had completed all their missions perfectly. She was pleased to discover that he was extremely competent in the field. He didn't question her orders, and offered his own opinion where appropriate. In fact when on missions they functioned more a teammates with her as the team leader than sensei and student.

However, before they started those missions Yūgao had raised the issue of doing D rank missions with Naruto. She couldn't help at laugh at Naruto's response. He just unsealed a scroll and dumped seventy complete D rank missions scrolls and their respective payments on the ground in front of her. When she had asked him how he'd done it he told her he had a team of shadow clones working on it ever since they had started training, he'd even henged one to impersonate her.

She didn't make a big deal of it, even overlooked the fact that Naruto had technically impersonated a superior; after all she didn't want to do them either. She also felt a certain sense satisfaction in the fact that the other jōnin-sensei had to do them and she didn't. D rank missions were designed to encourage teamwork between new teams before they entered the field outside Konoha, it was necessary work but they were always a trial for whichever jōnin sensei was leading the team. Naruto seemed to think they were a scam devised by the civilian council to exploit young ninja as a source of cheap labour. She didn't know where he came up with that theory, one would think he had been trained as a philosopher instead of a ninja.

Speaking of his training, he hadn't let a single detail regarding his mysterious sensei slip out during their time together, All she knew was that she was related to him, was female, and must have been an extremely competent sensei to bring Naruto to the level he was at. Although she was disappointed that Naruto still didn't trust her with that information she knew patience was the key. Naruto has severe trust issues, _all reasonable_, she thought, it would take time for him to trust her enough with information that was important to him.

Seeing that Naruto was ready to go Yūgao grabbed his shoulder and they disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Hayate looked over at the huge mess the Naruto army had made and hoped Yūgao didn't expect him to clean it up, at least not by himself.

* * *

Yūgao and Naruto appeared at the Hokage's tower a few moments after Yūgao had left the training ground using shun shin. Naruto was impressed with Yugao use of shun shin, she could move pretty far for what her charkra reserves were. What most non-ninja didn't understand was that shun shin was merely disguised high speed movement , not teleportation. If it were teleportation than his father's Hiraishin wouldn't have been anywhere near as impressive. The reason people didn't utilise shun shin all the time in battles was because it cost quite a bit of chakra to use it repeatedly and was tyring, especially at long distances. Using it extensively in battle was suicide unless you had high chakra reserves like he did or specialised in short movements it like Uchiha Shisui.

They entered the building and Yūgao let the secretary know they were ready to see the Hokage. As per usual Naruto attracted a number of curious stares from the staff. As per usual Naruto found it amusing that a simple change of clothes was enough to generate a completely different reaction from the villagers. It just went to show how shallow they were, it was obvious they couldn't sense absolutely no difference between Naruto and every other person in the village. Just further evidence to him that the majority of them were idiots. If he were the Kyuubi they would damn well know it, Kurama's chakra was unmistakable. The villagers must have poor memories if the couldn't remember the feelings of dread and despair they felt during the attack.

As they entered the Hokage's office the old man looked up and greeted them with a smile.

"Good, you're both, I have a mission that I think will be perfect for you Naruto,"

"Oh?"

"A client in the fire country capital has requested a team of ninja for an espionage mission. Considering your ability to remain unseen I think this is a good chance for you to get some experience and complete a B rank mission," explained the Hokage.

"B rank?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, it's a reasonably high profile mission. The client is a member of the Fire Daiymo's court. He suspects that a powerful merchant in the capital is blackmailing and coercing various members of the court to take biased stances on trade policy. He needs you two to investigate and find any evidence implicating the merchant in any underhanded activities against members of the court. If you do find any evidence the clients instructs us that you need to take it to the Daiymo's court immediately, and ask for Gin Atobe ."

"What's the merchants' name?" Yūgao asked/.

"Tetsuya Fuzuki, there's more details in this scroll," replied the Hokage, handing Yūgao a scroll containing all relevant information on the mission.

_Name: Tetsuya Fuzuki_

_Age: 36_

_Occupation: Merchant/Entrepreneur/Head of Fuzuki Industries _

_Notes:_

_One of the richest men in Fire Country. Strong economic and political influence in the capital._

_Imports a large amount of stock from Wave Country, mostly Sake and trade from Water Country (suspected of illegal arms dealing with both sides of the civil war)._

_He's Fire Country's main exporter of timber. Mostly to Wave and Water Country for the manufacturing of ships and infrastructure._

_Also runs a mid size security business which employs mercenaries and several ex samurai. No known affiliations with any shinobi._

_Suspected of using Security Company to apply illegal pressure and extort local businesses and politicians who get in his way. __**  
**_

_Also suspected of involvement in the production and supply of illegal opium. _

Naruto examined the photo of the man. He could pass for any of the civilian council members in Kohona; expensive kimono, skinny, glasses, dark brown hair that was parted in the middle, he had a smile that looked more like a greasy smirk. That smile said everything; this man cared more about money than anything.

"High profile," commented Yūgao.

The Hokage nodded his head, "You two leave as soon as possible, it'll take you a day or two to reach the capital."

Yūgao turned to Naruto, "Alright Naruto, get your stuff together and meet me outside the north gate in one hour."

"Got it sensei," said Naruto before leaving in a cloud of red mist.

"Is that blood?"

Yūgao sighed; she was getting sick of people asking her that question. During a spar last month she had gotten a mouth full of the red mist when Naruto had body flickered out of the way of one of her attacks. It was definitely blood. She didn't want to know how he did that, she had seen elemental shun shins, she could do a fire one herself, but with blood? Whose was it anyway?

* * *

One hour later Naruto stood outside the northern gate talking to the two gate guards Izumo and Kotetsu. The two chūnin seemed to be forever on guard duty and were pretty much a fixture at the gates of the village these days.

Naruto liked these two. They weren't really ninja, more like glorified security guards or border patrol but they had always treated his clone fairly, which is more than he could say for the majority of the ninja in the village. Most ninja had a tendency to either believe hearsay about him or take the heavily biased reports from academy instructors at face value. He supposed part of the blame lay with him for that, after all he put up that façade but the lack of perceptiveness was a bit disconcerting, you'd expect better from people who are are supposed to be shinobi.

"Hey Naruto, how'd you score a B rank mission while we're stuck on guard duty?" Izumo asked, he couldn't even remember the last time he got a B rank.

"Yeah, you're only a genin, what gives?" Kotestu added.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, "I'm in good with the old man."

The two chūnin nodded in agreement, the Hokage had always had an interest in Naruto. The fact that the Hokage let him get away with calling him 'old man' was evidence enough of that, anyone else would have been signed up for a session with Ibiki.

"So…what's with the new threads?" Kotetsu asked, curious about Naruto's knew look. The orange he used to wear stood out…a lot, now you could barely detect the kid, and he kept alternating between having no presence whatsoever to exhibiting an extremely dangerous one.

"Doing real shinobi work now, surely you didn't think I'd wear orange in the field…right?" Naruto asked suspecting that the two chūnin were indeed having such stupid thoughts.

"I don't know, you always wore it," commented Izumo.

"That because it was the only thing merchants wouldn't overcharge me for," replied Naruto.

Izumo and Kotetsu both looked a little angry at that remark.

"Fortunately I found a merchant who treated me like a regular customer, so everything good now," continued Naruto. When he was about thirteen he'd found a merchant who didn't seem to hold any prejudice against him, in fact this man treated him with respect even. It was nice to see a civilian with a brain, though this merchant looked like a blacksmith as well and had likely spent a lot of time around shinobi. Naruto even found out the man had a daughter at the academy, Tin Tin or something.

The merchant had been his primary source of kunai and shuriken for a while now. Though he would sometimes steal supplies from merchants he didn't like, just like he did before he met the man.

"Still, there's something different about you, more then just clothes," commented Izumo, placing his hand on his chin and looking at Naruto in a contemplative manner.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Don't think too hard, I'm not sure you pea brains handle it."

"No Izumo's right, its like your…I don't know…less stupid," said Kotestu before Naruto kicked him in the balls.

"…why?…" croaked Kotetsu and he collapsed to the ground in severe pain.

Naruto looked annoyed at the question, he had lost count of how many times peopled had called him an idiot over the last month and it was starting to grate on his nerves.

"You picking up kenjutsu?" Izumo asked, completely ignoring the writhing Kotesu who was rolling back and forth on the ground.

"Yep, my sensei's teaching me it. Speaking of my sensei here she is now," said Naruto as Yūgao walked through the gate.

Yūgao arrived and gave a nod to Izumo before looking at Kotesu rolling around on the ground. "What happened to him?"

"Ruptured testicle," replied Naruto.

Izumo grimaced and moved a hand protectively over his groin while Yūgao just answered," I don't want to know. You ready Naruto?"

Naruto nodded his head.

"Alright then, lets get this show on the road," said Yūgao.

With that Yūgao and Naruto started walking off in the direction of the fire capital.

"Wasn't Yūgao an ANBU Captain?" Izumo asked.

"Yep," replied Kotestu, who had gotten up of the ground and now was leaning over hands on his knees taking deep breaths.

"How'd Naruto score an ANBU Captain as his sensei?" Izumo asked.

"Who knows, its Naruto he always doing inexplicable things…man he didn't hold back on that kick, I think he really did rupture my testicles."

* * *

_**2 Days Later**_

Yūgao and Naruto arrived at the capital without incident. In fact Naruto found the trip quite pleasant. Yūgao had spent the majority of the trip telling Naruto about her time at the academy and her time as a genin. From what Naruto could gather the standards at the academy must have been dropping off since Yugao's time. She went through academy with people like Hayate, Itachi, who graduated in a single year, Morino Ibiki, the head of interrogation and Torture, and Mitarashi Anko, Orochimaru's former apprentice. He 'went' through academy with a bunch of fan girls, and a mentally unbalanced Uchiha.

The capital wasn't a particularly interesting place; it was just a much larger version of Konoha. It had similar architecture, similar vibe, there were civilians everywhere. In fact Konoha was just a microcosm of the capital with some extra ninja and a marginally different governing body, instead of the Daimyo and his court Konoha had the Hokage and the council, the difference was negligible. It just went to show how truly unhidden the hidden village really was. Akeginu had told him that Iga's ninja village was hidden deep within the mountains and was extremely inaccessible. The surrounding mountain paths, rice farms and even the irrigation system were designed to hide the village and provide a terrain advantage in the event of an attack. On the other hand just about everyone in the Elemental nations knew where Konoha was, though the forest provided some form of protection.

Yūgao knew where they were going; this wasn't her first visit to the capital. They spent a good twenty minutes wandering though the various suburbs before they reached the upper class area of the capital where Fuzuki resided. The majority of properties in the suburb were large, oversized and walled off. Naruto smirked, the walls weren't designed for protection but privacy, and ironically it was those walls that would make their job a lot easier. It was much harder to break into someone house unnoticed in a crowded area of town where all the properties were bunched together. The walls in this suburb could be scaled easily by ninja and would provide excellent privacy for their break in.

Fuzki's property was one of the largest in the area; in fact it made the Hyuga clan's compound look small. Like the surrounding properties it was surrounded by a wall, which was painted white, and about five metres high. There was a large metal gate that provided access via a large paved road that let to the mansion at the centre of the property. The entire property was covered in a dense coverage of trees. Naruto wasn't complaining, it made the guards job significantly more difficult and theirs a lot easier; good luck trying to find a ninja in a dense woodland at night.

Having found the property Yūgao and Naruto kept on walking past it before setting up in a hotel down the street, under fake names of course. They would conduct some surveillance over the next few days before making their move. It wouldn't do to tackle this mission without scoping out their target in person.

* * *

_**3 Days Later**_

It was a quiet night; so quiet you could almost forget you were in the capital. There wasn't a lot of traffic in the upper residential district so the streets were completely empty save for the occasional patrolling police officer. It was just after midnight and it was overcast, clouds had blocked out any moonlight making perfect conditions for their mission.

Yūgao and Naruto stood in the shadows outside the east wall of the Fuzuki's mansion. They had been watching the place for the last three days, gathering information in preparation for tonight. First they examined Fuzuki's security; they took note his personnel and the guard's patrols. They weren't pros and never changed their routes so avoiding them would be easy. Fortunately none of the guards used dogs either, guard dogs were generally much harder to sneak pass than humans. Yūgao had also somehow managed to acquire blueprints of the property, which allowed them to pinpoint the likely location of Fuzuki's personal office. They suspected that any sensitive information would be there rather than at his business headquarters. Reports said the man was paranoid, and didn't trust anyone; he would keep any incriminating evidence close at hand. Naruto had also spent some time shadowing Fuzuki though that had not reaped much reward other than the knowledge that the man blew through money like it was of no significance to him and spent most of his time courting various influential people in the capital.

After three days of information gathering Yūgao was satisfied that they were prepared to infiltrate the mansion and relieve Fuzuki of any documents that could incriminate him. The plan was to infiltrate undetected, search the office, remove any relevant files and leave without anyone noticing. However, Naruto and Yūgao were both well aware that things rarely went according to plan and Yūgao had given Naruto permission to make any improvisations he believed necessary to affect successful completion of the objective, though she didn't want any dead bodies for this mission; they tended to make things unnecessarily complicated.

This mission gave Naruto the opportunity to put his budding sensor ability into practice. His level was reasonably high already because he used a similar technique to sense people when using his blood mist. Sensory ninjutsu was a natural extension of that technique requiring him to send out pulses of chakra to get readings on people's location and chakra levels. His maximum range was about thirty meters at the moment but it was growing everyday. **(1) **The hard part was maintaining accuracy while extending range. Naruto estimated it would be several years before he would be able to achieve accurate long distance readings.

Using his sensory abilities he could detect a number of guards in the area but his readings told him they weren't ninja or competent swordsman, in fact none of them had chakra levels higher than a civilian. That wouldn't mean he would underestimate them though, Akeginu had had no chakra whatsoever and she could still kick his arse.

"There's a patrol of guards heading this way, they'll pass the wall within twenty seconds sensei. After that we're in the clear," Naruto reported to Yūgao.

They waited until the patrol arrived, with their senses they could easily hear the guards movements. Shortly after the guards passed them on the other side of the wall Yūgao nodded to Naruto and gave him the 'go ahead' signal. Yūgao had been teaching Naruto some ANBU hand signs used for silent communication. The concept was familiar to Naruto since Akeginu had taught him Iga's version of them.

They both jumped onto the wall using chakra to scale it and enter the compound undetected. Once over the wall they entered the wooded area surrounding the property. The main building was to the west in the centre of the property, it would take them about five minutes to reach provided they ran into no trouble.

Yūgao and Naruto moved through the woods at a reasonable pace in complete silence. The lack of moonlight and the canopy meant that they were practically undetectable provided they didn't make too much noise. The wooded area was not patrolled as the guards tended to stick to the main paths; as such they were able to make it to Fuzki's mansion without incident.

Reaching the mansion, Yūgao and Naruto waited in the trees for the patrol to pass by the eastern wall of the house. By their calculations they had five minutes to enter the property before another patrol would pass. Five minutes was more than enough time to scale the wall to the second story window and gain access. As soon as the patrol passed Naruto and Yūgao did just that.

Naruto was surprised that the window was not better protected. The window was locked of course but that was it, no seals, wires or traps were evident. It was a simple matter for Yūgao to pick the lock with a set of wires she had on her person. She was careful not to break the lock; she didn't want to give away their presence here in the event that they discovered nothing since it would just alert Fuzuki that someone was interested in his activities.

Entering the mansion through the window they found themselves in a large library, their intel suggested that Fuzuki's office was adjacent to it. Moving through the library, Naruto looked around impressed, Fuzuki had an extensive collection of books. He briefly wondered whether the man had actually read any of them or if they were just a pretentious display of wealth. Any other time he would have liked to peruse the many books but tonight he had other priorities.

Yūgao and Naruto moved silently through the library and to the office door. Naruto tried the handle but it was locked. _Damn._

"It looks like a more complex lock than the one on the window," commented Yūgao.

Naruto nodded, it wasn't surprising especially if the office held sensitive information like they suspected. Still it wasn't very impressive, considering the man's wealth he could afford significantly better.

Yūgao pulled out a scroll and removed a pouch from it. Opening it up Naruto could see an array of tools obviously used for lock picking. **(2)**

"Something you're not telling me sensei?"

"Lock picking is a valuable skill Naruto, especially if you want to break into somewhere without leaving a trace. I'll have to teach you sometime."

Naruto stood back and turned his eyes outward, keeping watch for any approaching guards while Yūgao went about her business. About one minute later he heard a click, before Yūgao whispered, "Success."

They entered the office with Yūgao shutting the door behind them. The office was large, very large. A huge wooden desk in the centre drew the attention of anyone entering the room. There was also a large life size portrait of Fuzuki hanging on the wall behind the desk. Naruto rolled his eyes at the blatant display of narcissism.

Yūgao immediately moved to the desk to search it for information, while Naruto stood back trying to determine if Fuzuki kept a safe in the room. He looked at the large portrait wondering if Fuzuki would be cliché enough to hide a safe behind it. He made to move towards the painting to check his theory but stoped dead in his tracks when his senses picked up footsteps. He sent out a pulse of chakra to confirm his suspicions and yes there it was, a reasonably large group of men were heading in their direction.

"Sensei?"

"Yeah, I sense them Naruto, they heading this way?" Yūgao asked for any extra information Naruto's sensor ability picked up.

"Right for us, about ten of them," replied Naruto.

"Shit, talk about rotten luck."

"You don't think they detected us do you?" Naruto asked as his right hand unconsciously reached for his katana.

"I don't see how but I'm sure we'll find out shortly. How long do we have?"

Naruto sent out another pulse, "About twenty seconds, they just entered the library."

Yūgao nodded her head and pointed to the roof. Fortunately for them the office was huge and the ceiling was high, they wouldn't be detected unless someone looked right at them and even then the shadows should mask their presence.

"Genjutsu?" Naruto asked.

"I don't think its necessary but I'll place one on the roof just in case."

They both scaled the wall of the office before moving to the far corner of the room. Yūgao cloaked them in a low level genjutsu; to the men about to enter the office the roof of the office would appear as it always did. Just as she made the illusion, the door opened and Fuzuki entered followed by some guards and retainers. Like Naruto had sensed there were ten in total.

"Damn Gato, sending his ninja cronies to scare me. I'll make my move when I'm damn well ready. It wouldn't kill the man to learn a bit of patience," cursed Fuzuki as he entered the room.

"Lets see… where did I put that file," said Fuzuki while searching through his draws.

Not finding whatever he was looking for Fuzuki approached his portrait before pushing it aside to reveal a safe.

_Ha, I knew it. Talk about predictable, _thought Naruto.

However Naruto's criticisms stoped dead when he saw what protected the safe, a blood seal. _That makes things a bit more complicated, how were they going to get his blood without him knowing? Blood seals were complex, especially ones that didn't were designed for civilian use, that type of work would have cost him. I wonder who did the work, it wasn't a Konoha nin, the Hokage would have told us about the seal. _

Naruto gave Yūgao a searching look, as if to say 'what the fuck do we do now'.

Yūgao look inquisitively at Fuzuki and the seal. Naruto knew what she was thinking. There were only three options; number one, give up on stealth and just jump down and take them down. It would be easy but also sloppy and be a partial fail of the mission, which asked that this be done without Fuzuki's awareness as far as possible. Option number two was wait until Fuzuki left the room and went to sleep, then sneak in a cut him while he was sleeping. Number three was genjutsu; cut him while he's none the wiser. He thought that number three was the best option.

Naruto looked over to Yūgao and mouthed the word, "Genjutsu."

Yūgao nodded her head. She had been thinking the same thing but what genjutsu to use? Most genjutsu would work on civilians but they would also give away ninja involvement. It wouldn't take a genius to point the finger at Konoha, and she really didn't want to kill all of them. She was slightly above average at genjutsu but most of hers were used to hide her presence or to distract, they'd need an area of effect genjutsu in this instance.

Yūgao's train of thought stopped abruptly when everyone in the room with the exception Naruto and herself collapsed unconscious on the ground. Yūgao was startled, _what the fuck just happened?_

She smelled white plumbs in the air and started to feel clouds of drowsiness invade her mind. She suddenly was overcome by the urge to shut her eyes and drift off to sleep. _What…why…why am I so tired?_

She managed to look over to Naruto who had jumped down off the roof as soon as they had collapsed, _was this Naruto's doing?_ She didn't feel him use chakra but she had seen him use genjutsu before with extreme subtly, her arm still hurt thinking about his Hidden blade genjutsu. She was about to ask him when she almost passed out and fell off the roof. Fortunately Naruto was now under her and caught her bridal style.

He lay her down on the ground, and slapped her face, "Wake up sensei, it's a genjutsu."

"Kai," she mumbled but it was barely audible. The desire to sleep continued to overwhelm her but she managed to hold on, remembering Naruto said it was genjutsu she yelled, "Kai."

This time the illusion broke and the drowsiness that was clouding her mind left her.

"All better now?" Naruto asked.

She nodded her head getting up off the floor, "Was that you Naruto?"

"Yeah, just a genjutsu I've been working on. It induces a sleep like state. I call it… **Genjutsu**: **Sleep Induction.**_"_**(3)**

"Your not very creative with your names you know."

Naruto just shrugged his shoulders, "Some of the names for jutsu out there are just plain stupid."

"I didn't notice you use it, and why did you hit me with it for?" She was more than a little annoyed with him, though it was mainly because she fell for another of his illusions without noticing.

Naruto smiled at that, he was happy Kurama's ability could even escape the notice of a ANBU level shinobi. "Did you smell anything?"

"Yeah, I smelled white plumbs before I fell off the ceiling," replied Yūgao.

Naruto nodded, "I used chemical as a vector to induce the genjutsu. The chemical smells like white plumbs."

"Isn't that just drugging them?"

"Not quite, said Naruto as he recalled Kurama explanation of his new genjutsu abilities…

* * *

_Flashback_

"_**Okay Kit pay attention, I don't repeat myself…ever,"**_ said Kurama in a stern tone. Naruto thought if she really wanted him to pay attention she would put some clothes on. Like usual she was standing in front of him stark naked, and he was trying not to stare at her large breast or any other part of her naked body.

"_**Kit…I live and breathe illusions. My affinity for illusion is so high I can do them unconsciously, without the slightest bit of effort. Take my eyes for examples, if this seal weren't here and you didn't have your mystic eyes I could have you eating out of the palm of my hand with them. With these eyes I can brute force my way through virtually anyone's mind." (4)**_

"Did I get your eyes when we …you know?" Naruto asked.

"_**You mean when we had sex? No… your mystic eyes reject anything remotely supernatural, my powers included."**_

"Sex? You mean when you raped me," replied Naruto, he was still ambivalent about that experience, he still didn't know whether he should feel ashamed or just accept that he had sex with a beautiful creature, even if it was incredibly rough and not on his own terms.

"_**Whatever, I don't recall you saying no" **_replied Kurama completely dismissing Naruto's complaint.

"That's because I couldn't get word in with you tongue jammed down my throat," replied Naruto, and he was being literal the damn fox shape shifted her tongue while it was in his mouth.

He decided to cut his loses and move on, to date he had yet to win an argument with her, "If I didn't get your eye then what?"

"_**Stop interrupting me and maybe you'll find out," **_snapped Kurama, the slight waiver in her imposing chakra indicated she was annoyed. **"**_**My eyes aren't the subtlest tools in my possession…I have other… subtler means of creating illusions," **_she said before disappearing completely.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise before he activated his mystic eyes and looked around. However it was no use, the eyes wouldn't work unless he could make eye contact; try doing that with an invisible person. All Kurama had to do was make sure she didn't look him in the eyes and her illusion would hold.

_If she keeps this up I'll have to have my eyes active during all conversation with her._

"Kai," he said but nothing happened. _How is she doing this?_ He wondered. His eyes gave him passive protection against hypnosis, as Kurama said his eyes would naturally reject any supernatural energy that touched them, so it wasn't her eyes. That begged the question, how was she doing this?

He felt a tap on his shoulder. He deactivated his mystic eyes and turned around to find Kurama standing there behind him smirking in triumph.

"How? He asked, genuinely impressed.

"_**Do you smell that?"**_

In the interest of staying alive he decided to answer that seriously. Taking time to smell the air he noticed, now that she had mentioned it, the smell of honey, the smell was subtle but it was definitely there.

"Genjutsu by smell?"

Kurama rolled her eyes at him, _**"Genjutsu using pheromones Kit…chemicals produced by the body. I use them as a vector to induce a hallucination or…a genjutsu to use your language. "(5)**_

Naruto nodded his head, it sounded right, chemicals could cause all manner of hallucinations; it wasn't surprising that there was a creature out there that figured out how to control the chemicals and their effects. It sounded like Kurama discovered or naturally could produce a chemical that not only triggered a hallucination but also allowed the producer to control what illusion was produced,

"So the chemical triggers whatever genjutsu you want?"

"**That's an…oversimplification but yes. Illusions can be induced using sound, hypnosis, touch, is it surprising that I can use the sense of smell and taste? After all, all of those senses connect back to the brain."**

No it wasn't surprising when he thought about it; genjutsu could be triggered using sight, hearing and touch so why not another sense, in this instance Kurama was using smell and taste to induce an illusion.

"So, the changes you made to my body will allow me to produce this chemical?"

"_**Yes, I made some alterations to some glands in your body, you'll be able to emit the chemical at will once I show you how. The main advantage is once the chemical is in the bloodstream it's extremely difficult to break the illusion. Even a... sharingan user... will be affected by the genjutsu since it bypasses their dojutsu completely and attacks the brain. The chemical enters the body and starts to effect the brain directly, only incredibly observant people or those with the present of mind to notice will be bale to break it, even then the chemicals will continue to attack the brain making it difficult to shake off. The person would have to weight until the chemical withdraws form their body before being free of your influence." **_

"That's sounds powerful but are there any disadvantages…limitations, there's always limitations?"

"_**Of course there is Kit, though there not that bad. Firstly keep it to one genjutsu per emission of pheromones. If you want to make another genjutsu you have to emit some more pheromones to carry it. It won't be too taxing but it'll take time. Also mixing up your pheromones will weaken the chemicals hold on the opponent."**_

"What do you mean?"

"_**What you'll be doing is actually producing a new and slightly different pheromone for each genjutsu. You produce a genjutsu then use the chemical as a vector to deliver it to another person. If you want to put the person under a different genjutsu you'll need to emit a different pheromone to transmit that genjutsu. Mixing them and emitting... say two genjutsus will still result in a stronger than average illusion but it will be weaker than it could be. (6)**_

"So every genjutsu will be a unique pheromone?"

_**"Yes, though they'll be similar in chemical structure since the only thing you're changing is the effect of the chemical, the nature of the chemical will stay the same."**_

"Anything else I should know?" Naruto asked, he knew Kurama's nature, she'd say it was his fault him if he stuffed up or remained ignorant about a particular flaw.

" _**There's one more thing you need to be aware of, the range. The range of your pheromones is short to mid, the pheromones tend to diffuse and weaken at long range, but are tremendously effective indoors and in close quartes. Also the pheromones take time to diffuse into the air induce the genjutsu, similar time constraint as your blood mist, not too long but enough they its not immediate." **_

"I think I got that."

"_**Also, be careful who you emit around, anyone who breathes it or smells the chemical will be effected."**_

That was a bit disconcerting. He'd have to be careful when using it otherwise he'd end up trapping allies in a genjutsu as well. Controlling the pheromones would be an important factor.

"I ready when you are Kurama," said Naruto.

"_**Good, we can begin immediately. Luckily for you your practice with that blood mist jutsu should assist since emitting the pheromone won't be too different from expelling blood from your body. The pheromones will be expelled through the sweat pores in your skin. As a bonus you won't really get body odour anymore, any sweat will have the pheromone."**_

"What...so I just need to sweat?"

"_**Perspiration will produce the pheromone but if you want to spread the pheromone into the atmosphere and activate the genjutsu present in the chemical it'll take a bit more agency on your part Kit."**_

_End flashback_

* * *

"Its similar to how drugs work but in this case I'm using the chemical as a delivery system for my genjutsu. I use chemicals to bypass the bodies defences and introduce my genjutsu to the blood and thereby affect the brain," explained Naruto, he didn't really have an issue with explaining the ability to Yūgao, though at this stage he wasn't prepared to tell her he got it from Kurama.

_Wow, _thought Yūgao, she could only imaging Kurenai's reaction to this development. _She'd probably have an orgasm; the woman had an unhealthy obsession with genjutsu, _thought Yūgao, completely ignoring her own obsession with kenjutsu.

"So because I inhaled the chemical I fell under the genjutsu," said Yūgao.

"Essentially yes, next time I'll tell you to hold your breath."

"Why didn't you tell me this time?" Yūgao asked, annoyance colouring her tone.

Naruto shrugged, "I wanted to see if I could pull another genjutsu over you."

Yūgao shook her head exasperated, "You shouldn't be messing around on missions Naruto."

Naruto conceded to the gentle scolding with a tilt of his head, she was right, but he needed real world practice and experience. Genjutsu was different from ninjutsu or physical combat, hitting a training dummy or bolder wasn't much use, you needed to practice on people's minds.

"Can I use these chemicals?" Yūgao asked.

"Nope."

"Why not?" Yūgao asked, a bit peeved at Naruto's response.

"It's a secret."

Yūgao gave Naruto a glare; she suspected he'd been holding out on her for a while now. Anytime she would push him into a corner during their spars he always seem to have some technique hidden up his sleeve.

"Alright I won't push you on this now since it isn't the place for it but we will be having this conversation once we get back to Konoha," said Yūgao in a stern tone, she was completely serious about this.

"Yes mam."

Naruto moved over to Fuzuki and gave him a little cut on the back of the neck, just below the collar. He walked over to the safe and used the blood to disarm the blood seal. Opening the safe he found it to be filed with files and documents rather than valuables like you might expect.

_These files must either be extremely valuable or incriminating, likely both, _thought Naruto.

"Got anything over there?" Yūgao asked while moving Fuzuki from the ground to his chair.

Naruto nodded his head as he read some of the documents with interest. "Gato. This guy is involved with the entrepreneur from Wave country," said Naruto.

"You know of this Gato" Yūgao asked.

Naruto's mind flashed back to those clones he had sent to Wave all those years ago. "Yes, he's one of the richest men in the world. Also rumoured to be heavily involved in black market trades as well, though he's too powerful for anyone to do anything about it," explained Naruto before continuing, "From what these documents are saying, it looks like Gato's trying to make headway into Fire country and is using Fuzuki as a proxy."

Naruto handed one of the documents to Yūgao, "This one shows that Fuzuki has been blackmailing a minister in the Daiymo's inner circle."

That got Yūgao's notice, "Grab those Naruto, the client will want to see proof of this."

Naruto pulled out a scroll and sealed all the documents in it. So much for subterfuge thought Naruto, there was no way Fuzuki would not notice all those documents missing.

"That everything?" Yūgao asked.

Naruto nodded his head.

"Alright, lets get out of here."

"What about these guys? Should we move them?" Naruto asked.

"Hmm…"

* * *

Testsuya Fuzuki woke up in the morning from one of the best sleeps he had ever had to find he had fallen asleep at his desk.

"What? Did I fall asleep working again?" He wondered out loud, he remembered going through his documents for his files on the local ministers but then nothing. _Strange, _thought Fuzuki, he couldn't find that document he had either.

Nine others around the house were having a similar experience to Fuzuki. Before they left last night Yūgao and Naruto had moved the guard to various places around the house, fortunately the mansion had an abundance of rooms they could hide the guards in. None of the guards were ninja and the thought that a genjutsu was a cast on them would not cross their minds, nor would any of them admit to sleeping on the job to their boss.

The nine guards were jostled out of their thoughts when they heard their boss screaming, "We're the hell are my files!"

* * *

So their client was the Daimyo's treasurer, this was big.

After arriving at the Daimyo's court Yūgao and Naruto asked for Gin Atobe as they had been instructed in the mission brief. Following that they had been quickly hustled all the way to the desk of the Daimyo's treasurer Genzo Araki.

Araki was a peculiar individual. He was a short man, a bit on the fat side as well, virtually no hair and a hunch in his back that suggested the man rarely got out from behind his desk, but despite his appearance there was something in the man's eyes that told Naruto he was not to be messed with. Those eyes spoke of intelligence, experience and cunning. Naruto had no doubt this man was an expert player of the game of politics.

Araki was going over the evidence, he didn't look surprised by what they had found.

"So Tetsuya was corrupt, I knew it, but he's also involved with Gato," said Araki before letting out a sigh, "this is worse than I thought."

Araki took a moment to consider the evidence. Naruto could practically see the gears moving in his head as he thought of what move to make next.

"Your sure no one spotted you getting in and out of their?" Araki asked Yūgao.

"Yes sir, though we cleaned the safe out, the moment he opens it he'll know someone has his documents… he just won't know who," replied Yūgao.

"We'll have to move quickly then," said Araki before yelling," Atobe!"

The man known as Atobe came bustling through the door, casting a brief and curious glance at the two ninja before turning his attention back to his boss. Atobe was a thin man, with glasses and greying hair. He looked like a stereotypical example of a scribe or librarian.

"Atobe I need you to go inform the authorities, have them arrest Tetsuya Fuzuki immediately," Araki ordered his aide.

Atobe didn't hesitate and left immediately to fulfil his boss's order.

Araki looked over at Naruto and Yūgao, "You two are coming as well. Fuzuki has an extensive security force at his beck and call, and if this evidence is right he has no reservations about using it. You two will be my insurance in case anything goes wrong."

Naruto nodded his head; it was nice to see a politician who had brains. His experiences in Konoha left him unsure if it were possible.

* * *

Yūgao, Naruto and Araki arrived at Fuzuki's mansion to find the place in turmoil. It looks as if the authorities and the Daimyo's military police had had a lot of trouble subduing Fuzuki. Men were running around everywhere and by the look of the corpses that graced the front gate the conflict had been quite intense.

Araki didn't even pause in his stride as he immediately made for what looked like the most senior person on scene.

"Status report, now!" Ordered Araki.

"Sir, my men arrived at the scene to find the person of interest preparing to flee. Upon demanding his surrender, Tetsuya Fuzuki ordered his men to attack, we've been fighting ever since."

While the commander was talking Yūgao and Naruto both noticed that someone was using chakra in the vicinity.

Their distraction did not escape Araki's notice and he asked what was up, "What's wrong you two?"

"Sir, someone is using ninjutsu in the area…it seems that Fuzuki may have ninja assisting him," replied Yūgao.

"He did mention something about Gato sending ninja to pressure him, perhaps its them," added Naruto, remembering Gato ranting about being bugged by ninja sent by Gato.

"You're right, he did mention ninja," said Yūgao.

Araki took a moment to consider this new information. "Alright you two go and find out who throwing ninjutsu around. If it's a ninja assisting Gato deal with it, you'll be well compensated. If you spot Fuzuki while you running around, do me a favour and capture him."

"Yes sir," replied Yūgao and Naruto before running off towards the mansion where the fighting was taking place.

* * *

Yūgao and Naruto sprinted through woods heading towards the area where the chakra was being used. They decided to circumvent the fighting that was going on though the driveway so they could maintain their stealth. They stopped on the outskirts of the tree line having reached the area where the chakra was being used.

It seemed Fuzuki did have ninja helping him, three in fact. From the looks of it he had one jōnin and two chūnin assisting him. Naruto eye's quickly zoned in on their hitai-ate, the emblem on it had four wavy lines with a cross cut through them. **(6)**

"Kiri missing nin," observed Naruto.

"Not surprising, about half the missing nin in the binjo book these days come from the Mist, that civil war is tearing Water Country apart," commented Yūgao.

Naruto did a quick analysis of his prospective opponents. The jōnin and one of the chūnin were wielding ninjatōs. The other chūnin was using taijutsu to attack the daimyo's forces. _So we have two kenjutsu users and a taijutsu user_, thought Naruto.

"Remember what we talked about last week Naruto. I'll distract them while you use stealth to take down as many as possible. Start with the two weaker ones," said Yūgao drawing her chokuto.

Yūgao and Naruto had talked extensively about teamwork and how they would operate as a two person cell. Both agreed that Naruto's stealth was his best weapon so they would approach missions two ways, either they both remained invisible like the did last night or Yūgao would attack openly providing sufficient distraction for Naruto to use his stealth to make a kill. Yugao's combination of kenjutsu and ninjutsu made her aptly suited for dealing with frontline battles. Without relying on his Iga techniques Naruto lacked the arsenal of ninjutsu to be a frontline fighter, he would struggle to counter the various elemental ninjutsu attacks out there.

"Got it sensei," said Naruto before disappearing in a cloud of red mist.

"**Katon: Endan,"** sub vocalised Yūgao as she launched a bullet of flame straight at the three missing nin.

The two chūnin leaped out of the way while the jōnin one used a bullet of water to neutralise Yūgao's fire attack.

Yūgao predicated the counter, nin for Kiri were famous for their use of water ninjutsu. She used the time it took the jōnin to make the hand seals for water jutsu to sprint forward. Immediately after the water jutsu neutralised her flame justu she burst through the steam to deliver a crushing attack with her chokuto. The missing nin blocked the attack with his own ninjatō before countering with several strikes at Yūgao.

"Konoha ninja huh…so you're the ones that made off with the files," said the jōnin.

Yūgao didn't respond, she estimated him to be an experienced jōnin, but nothing special. Likely left without a job from the fall out of the civil war. Still, a ninja didn't survive to be a jōnin by having no skills; she would take any risks. Yūgao channelled earth chakra into her chokuto before moving to attack the jōnin again; relying on fire in this fight would be unwise.

* * *

While Yūgao was distracting the more experienced ninja Naruto was creeping up on the younger ones. After he had finished speaking with Yūgao, he had used body flicker to move himself deeper into the tree line before circling around behind the nin to attack their flanks. A surprise attack form behind was tactics 1-0-1, simple but everyone used it because it worked.

Reaching the edge of the tree line he climbed up onto a branch of a tree. He had a good view of both the chunin, they were being distracted by the fight between Yugao and the jonin. Using that to his advantage Naruto removed a shuriken from his sleeve and took aim at the ninjatō wielding chūnin who was currently cutting down a police officer. Although he would like to take down both chūnin in one hit they were to far apart for an explosive tag and he couldn't rely on his ebon ropes with Yūgao present.

_Shame, I could kill both instantly with my ropes. I'll have to do them in one by one, _thought Naruto. Killing one who alert the other to his presence but he didn't mind too much. The outcome would be the same.

Naruto didn't hesitate and took the shot while it was available. The shuriken left his hand and flew with speed and precision. A dull thunk could be heard as the shuriken imbedded itself in the back of the chūnin head. The chūnin dropped to his knees before falling face first into the ground never to rise again.

Naruto quickly used a shun shin to hide himself deeper in the forest in case the other chūnin tracked the flight of the shuriken. He quickly made his way silently around to where the other chūnin was standing. It seemed he had stopped fighting and was staring in confusion at his comrade's dead body before his expression turned to one of anger.

"Come out you bastard!" Yelled the chūnin.

Naurto smiled, it seemed the two chūnin were friends. _Good, _he thought, he could use that anger; it would make the chūnin sloppy.

Naruto tried the same attack launching a shuriken straight at the chūnin's head but this time it simply hit a log as the chūnin use substitution no justu to avoid the attack.

_Tch, looks like he maintained his awareness despite his anger_.

The chūnin turned to look where the shuriken had come from thinking he had found whoever murdered his friend but discovered nothing, Naruto had already moved.

_It would be a simple matter to kill this one with Kamaitachi as well but I don't want Yūgao to know that either, _thought Naruto. He was also loath to launch one of the new ninjutsu he learnt from Yūgao at the chūnin since he had been taught by Akeginu to attack head on only as a last resort and even then only on his terms if possible.

Naruto smirked as he came up with a novel way of disposing of this chūnin. He pulled out an explosive tag and armed it before placing it on the ground. He then used shun shin to appear right next to the chūnin a deliver a kick into the chūnin's ribs which the chūnin managed to block. The chūnin countered hitting Naruto square in the chest but Naruto smiled before disappearing to reveal that he had used substitution with the explosive note which proceeded to exploded right in the chūnin's face.

_Looks like I got the timing just right with that, _observed Naruto. The chūnin actually managed to escape with only minor damage to his face. _He must be faster than I thought_. It didn't matter though because as he was getting up off the ground Naruto appeared right next to him in a cloud of red mist before taking his head off with a single swipe of his sword.

_That's me done._

Wiping the blood from his Katana Naruto looked over to see his sensei handling the jōnin with relative ease. He was about to assist her by sending a shuriken at the Jōnin to district him when he saw her create three shadow clones and attacked the Jōnin using the Dance of the Crescent Moon. The Jōnin couldn't do much to defend himself from this attack and fell prey to one of the shadow clones who pierced his back with its sword.

"All done sensei?" Naruto asked as he walked over to Yūgao who just dispelled the shadow clones.

"Looks that way," replied Yūgao. "Lets see if we can find Fuzuki and put an end to this mess."

It didn't take them long to find the merchant who was huddling under his desk in the office. Yugao hit him over the back of the head before binding him. They then proceeded to deliver a bound Fuzuki to Genzo Araki personally.

* * *

"Nice work you two," said Araki, seeing Naruto holding a bound Fuzuki by the back of his collar. He had also received reports from the police that the two ninja had killed the missing nin that Fuzuki had working for him.

"Thank you sire," replied Yūgao.

"What were your names again?"

"I'm Uzuki Yūgao and this is my apprentice Uzumaki Naruto"

"Are young ninja in Konoha as good as him?" Araki asked, the officer who had witnessed the ninja's fighting had reported the young Konoha nin moved like a ghost around the battlefield.

"We wish we had more like him, Naruto's a special talent," said Yūgao, completely genuine in her praise, though she knew most of the praise for Naruto's skill belonged to his mysterious sensei rather than herself.

"He certainly is," said Araki, who had not only been impressed by the boys skill but his professional demeanour. "As I promised he's your remuneration for the original contract plus extra for dealing with those ninja's and apprehending Araki. I will also be making note of your achievements in my report."

"Thank you sir," said Yugao.

"Alright you two can go, I have to clean up this mess Fuzuki's made," said Araki with a sigh, this was going to take a lot of paper work.

* * *

_**3 days later**_

"So, Gato's moving in on fire country," commented the Hokage, who had just received the mission report from Yūgao. Yugao and Naruto had managed to find their way back to Konoha several days after the fight at Fuzuki's manor. They immediately went to inform the Hokage of their successful mission. With the addition of a ninja team and the addition assignments from Araki the mission would be upgraded to A rank.

"So it would see," said Naruto.

"The fire Daiymo won't like this, Gato already holds too much power in Water Country and Wave Country, and he won't want the man bringing his influence over the border."

While they were reporting a dog like creature barged into the room.

"Pakkun?" The Hokage asked, wondering why Kakashi's ninken was here.

"Hokage-sama I bring news from Kakashi, it's an emergency."

"Report," ordered the Hokage.

"Kakashi and his genin team were ambushed by A rank missing nin Momochi Zabuza and one unidentified nin masquerading as a hunter nin.

Naruto whistled, "One of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist…still him and Kakashi should be about equal, what happened?"

"Your forgetting the genin and the client, Kakashi has to protect the client and his team who would be no match for Zabuza, it puts Kakashi at a big disadvantage," said Yūgao.

"True," Naruto conceded, he hadn't factored those burdens into his calculations. Kakashi and Zabuza were both high A rank, and each had their own distinctive weapon, Kakashi the sharingan and Zabuza his unique sword.

"Do we know who this 'hunter nin is," Yugao asked.

The ninken shook its head, "No, only that he uses senbon, and appears to know medical ninjutsu."

"Anyone masquerading as a hunter nin must be at least chūnin to be able to pull off the impersonation properly," commented Naruto.

"True, they also mustn't be that concerned about any reprisal from Kiri either," Yūgao added.

"Must be reasonably advanced, at least chūnin level if he knows medical ninjutsu," said the Hokage who was in agreement with what Yūgao and Naruto were saying; Kakashi and his team were in trouble.

"Kakashi suffered chakra exhaustion while fighting Zabuza and is asking for reinforcements," said Pakkun.

Deciding he needed to act immediately the Hokage decided to use the current team present. Yūgao was arguably the strongest jōnin in Konoha, only Gai, Tenzo and Kakashi could match her and Naruto was far stronger than any genin on the other teams. "Alright, you two have a new mission, your primary objective is to reinforce team 7 and ensure they survive, your secondary objective is to investigate Gato directly and if possible take action against him. I'll let you use your own judgement on that Yūgao. I'll get the Fire Daimyo to finance both missions so don't worry about pay; he'll want Gato stopped. So will Genzo Araki."

'Yes, Hokage-sama,"

"Both missions are A rank," said the Hokage.

""Alright Naruto, lets get moving if we take too long Kakashi and his team will be dead before we get there."

* * *

_**Foot Notes**_

_**1) Eventually Naruto will learn some Kouga techniques. The sensor abilities are intended to replace **__**Hyouma's**__** sensitive sonar like hearing and mind's eye ability in Narutos's skill set. (since Naruto won't be blind he can't really learn this). **_

_**2) Is there a jutsu for this?**_

_**3) Similar to Kabuto's/the Nirvana technique though not as large in terms area of effect but there's no bright feathers so its harder to detect. Its intended to mimic the effects of sleeping gas. Naruto won't be using genjutsu's to create complex layered illusions that trap people in a genjutsu; he'll go for more practical effects like this. **_

_**4) For the purposes of this fic the only reason sharingan works on her is because it derives from Sage of Six Paths/Jyuubi. You could so its exploits the tailed beasts weakness.**_

_**5) So Kurama genjutsu ability is a vector, a way of delivering genjutsu like the sharingan, which does it using hypnosis. Kurama's pheromones are meant to be similar to gas or chemical weapons but instead of transmitting poisons or bio weapons they transmit illusions. I suppose they could be considered analogous to hallucinogens but with the Naruto having control over what hallucination is induced. As with the sensor ability replacing Hyouma ability, Naruto's pheromones genjutsu will replace Kagerou's poison breath (which will be a blood line in this fic).**_

_**6) It isn't a vector for mind control like say Aizen's absolute hypnosis. The chemical doesn't allow Naruto to do anything he wants with another person's mind, if he wants to put them under a different genjutsu he will have to emit a different pheromone.**_

_**7) Just some non descript missing nin. I was thinking of using Raiga but having Naruto kill two of the 7 swordsmen in successive chapters would be a bit too contrived.**_

* * *

_**Author's notes  
**_

_**Originally I was just going to use a filler mission/villain from the anime for the mission but most of them are fairly crappy so I just went with a simple espionage mission, typical ninja work. Anyway the main idea was to show of the dynamics of Team Yugao/Naruto. As a bonus I added some more depth for the Wave arc and got to introduce another of Kurama's abilities.**_

_**Naruto's genjutsu will be fairly strong, since that and fuinjutsu will be the main Naruto universe techniques Naruto relies on (besides standard sensor, shun shin, substitution, chakra flow). As I've stated previously Naruto's build will be Iga/Kouga techniques plus genjutsu, fuinjutsu, and some other utility jutsus such as chakra flow, shunshin, substitution etc.**_

_**I'm dealing with Wave in two separate chapters, the first will be Yugao and Naruto arriving in Wave and their investigation/sabotage of Gato's industries. The second chapter will be the showdown with Zabuza and yes there will be Blood mist v Hidden Mist action.**_

_**So tune in next chapter for Wave arc.**_


	10. Chapter 10 - Trouble in Wave Country

_**Chapter 10 – **_**Nami no Kuni**_**Prelude: Trouble in Wave Country**_

_**Hey people, Tibo's back.**_

_**So begins the Wave arc. If I was just focusing on canon I could do this in two chapters or so since it would just cover the showdown with Zabuza, however I've decided to add a little more of my own material as I think Gato's was under-utilised as a villain. Therefore I'm splitting this arc into four separate chapters. This first chapter is a short one, as the title suggests its only a prelude and pretty much sets up what action is going to be taken over the rest of the arc.**_

_**Team 7 will meet Naruto during this arc. Honestly, I do not like Sakura and though I'm not one for bashing, it's largely unavoidable as far as she concerned unless you fundamentally change her character (which I won't be doing). My main issue in canon is more with Naruto's fixation on her than her character itself, it's quite inexplicable (Naruto's pretty much a fanboy). Sasuke's a bit easier since he'll likely keep his questions regarding Naruto to himself initially (though he'll probably take some form of action later). In canon he comes across as a douche but again I think that's largely a result of perspective. The whole rivalry thing detracts from both characters, if Kishimoto had made the manga about Sasuke, (some kind of anti hero – revenge plot) he would have been a more sympathetic figure, but instead we have Naruto as the main and both characters suffer for it, Naruto comes across as an idiot and Sasuke as an arrogant tool.**_

_**However, neither Sasuke or Sakura **__**are**__** particularly relevant to my plot, unlike canon Naruto doesn't have an unhealthy obsession with both of them and generally won't care what either of them do unless it affects him directly in some way. He certsinly won't consider people who hurt and deride him on a regular basis as 'precious people' (in canon I don't think he ever understood the concept; probably because he just swiped the idea of Haku in passing and started calling it his nindo). So don't expect either Sasuke or Sakura to feature too heavily, Sasuke will have a role since Orochimaru wants him but it won't be a huge if he gets too annoying Naruto will just off him. **_

_**I decided to make Kakashi largely indifferent to Naruto (instead of hostile, I found it difficult to write him as a positive influence since all evidence in Part 1 suggests otherwise) though he'll be curious/suspicious about him.**_

_**In regards to Kushina, I'm inclined to keep her as she was in canon at the moment (as part of the seal, though I could make her a more permanent resident than she was in canon). That way I can still have a confrontation between the two (and Kurama as well) but not have it take too much away **__**from**__** the plot or contrive a way of keeping her alive that may or may not work. In any event it **__**is**__** still ages away and I'm not going to make a final decision this far out.**_

_**In response to some reviews/questions:**_

_**Cold blue:**_

_I'm still working on the plan for resurrection. It's a bit easier since their souls are still walking around they just need a body. Akeginu will be the first but it won't happen for a while (after Oto infiltration in the outline)._

_Tayuya is pretty much confirmed, I like her sound genjutsu and doki (needed a long range fighter). Still undecided on Karin, she was a bit annoying in canon but she was smart as wised up eventually, also she won't have any real connection to Sasuke in this so that annoying fan girl esque behaviour will largely be avoided._

_Spirit link animal is coming up during the chūnin exam 1 month interlude (so is a certain basilisk character as well). I'm still not completely decided on the animal though the owl is leading at the moment, I like the snake but Anko and Orochimaru pretty have that covered pretty well._

_**Rikudou Naruto:**_

_He has kamaitachi, see the earlier chapters where Akeginu __teaches__ him the technqiue, as well as his fight against Aoi where he uses it. He also has regeneration, see the same chapter with Aoi, it has a flashback for his __first__ deal with Kurrama. His regeneration is superior to Tenzen's though. He will have a spirit link (chunin exam arc), though maybe not with a viper, I'm considering other creatures at this stage. I'm leaning towards a bird __because Naruto__ hasn't been using his full skill set recently because Konoha has eyes on him._

_No Akatsuki members will be killed by B rank nin in my fic — period. I hated that in canon, especially Sasori's death. Sakura, a girl with barely three years of serious training, taking down the greatest puppeteer in history – what a joke. Hidan aside most of those guys are geniuses and incredibly strong, no borderline B rank ninja will be inexplicably taking down S rank in my Fic. Sasori and Kakuzu will be particularly difficult for Naruto as they use proxies in battle and his eyes won't work on puppets._

_**Ddcj1900: **__Probably Kisaragi Saemon since he's a bit more of a stable personality. Hates Iga less too despite the fact that his sister died at their hands._

**Ozzam40K: **Y_ou're right about the ninja, they have essential become the main fighting force. Ninja in Akeginu's time were essentially intelligence operatives, or at most covert special __forces__._

**55:** Y_ūgao? Maybe, I'll definitely consider it, she'll be chasing Naruto regardless to get the full story from him._

**Affirmative Bloodline****: **K_agerou's ability is heavily implied to be bloodline, especially in the novel where it states that only females in her family possess the ability to breath poison when sexually stimulated. That and the ability is designed for kunoichi to make their seduction more lethal._

_**Shadow's Blades: **__Yeah, I added Araki to give Naruto some contacts high up in Fire Country's government and outside Konoha's influence. When I add OCs I add them for a specific purpose or too add some extra depth._

_**Serialkeller**__**: **__Good tactics can make up for a lot of weaknesses and deficiencies or in Naruto's case allow a strong person to win comfortably without relying on high level techniques_.

_**roboguy45**__**: **__They can't __really__ force him to reveal his techniques because it would set a dangerous precedent. There's no way the shinobi council would allow it because it would be setting off warning bells in their heads, theoretically the council could demand access to any technique they want. Since no one would be able to reproduce the genjutusu ability he could get away with calling it a hidden jutsu or even a bloodline (which would be reasonably accurate since it's a mutation)._

* * *

**[Standard disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Basilisk]**

It was near midnight when Yūgao and Naruto arrived in the small archipelago nation of Nami no Kuni. They had made good time. Wave Country was located off the coast to the east of Fire Country, roughly two days travel from Konoha; Yūgao and Naruto managed the trip in little over a day.

After their meeting with the Hokage, Yūgao had given Naruto fifteen minutes to re-supply before they headed out on their new mission. Although this mission was urgent and time was of the essence, heading out without checking their supplies would be negligent at best, particularly since they had just returned from a mission themselves. After resupplying Yūgao and Naruto had left immediately and headed east to Wave Country. They travelled far more quickly than Team 7 did, since there was no client to slow them down they could move at a fast pace, and since Naruto knew how to water walk they could cross the narrow stretch of water separating Wave from Fire Country without waiting for a boat.

Their arrival in Wave had been a novel experience for both of them. Neither had seen the bridge before; construction hadn't begun when Naruto sent his shadow clones out to Wave when he was younger. Naruto had to admit the sight was impressive and would be even more so once the bridge was completed. The bridge was massive, the straight between the island and the continent was several kilometres wide so building a serviceable bridge to across it would be an engineering marvel.

Naruto wasn't naïve as to what the bridge represented either, nor the implications of building it. He knew the Wave Country well, it was a small nation that had no ninja village of its own and for the last decade or so had been held in an iron grip by the Gato Company. The main town was a port that was ideally situated so that it was the main thoroughfare for merchant vessels seeking to trade between Water Country and the southern part of the continent. It was this fact was what made Gato and his company so powerful, he controlled the port, and thus controlled Wave Country. All the tariffs and taxes on all goods moving in and out of the port went straight to his purse, and anyone who wanted a favour in regards to trading in Wave had to go to him to get it. This bridge Tazuna was building would link the country to the continent making the need for ships along that route redundant and thereby severely reducing the Gato Company's profits. It was also symbolic of the Nations emancipation form the Gato Company. These factors are what led to Gato hiring A rank missing nin to dispose of the bridge builder and prevent the bridge's completion.

Wave Country was an interesting case study. Quite often economic success was good for a country, it resulted in a boom that was profitable for a large portion of the populous, but not in Wave. Gato was a very greedy man, not content with the enormous profits gained from the port he used his wealth to hire mercenaries to extend his influence to black market trades and extort the locals out of any potential profit they could gain from the port either from forcing them to hire his own men as security or through raising interest rates on loans so any debts would be impossible to pay back. Gato's extensive black market trades ran in everything from drugs and weapons, to women and slaves. The man had his fingers in everything and if Naruto and Yūgao were successful, the removal of Gato and his empire would be felt across the entire elemental nations.

Naruto and Yūgao had eventually stoped running as they drew closer to the port town where Team 7 and Gato were located.

"According to Pakkun the bridge builder's house should only be a short distance to the east from here," said Yūgao as she stopped to catch her breath, they had been running non stop all the way from Konoha and it had taken a lot out of her, even Naruto with his amazing stamina looked winded. Before they had left Kakashi's nin-ken had provided them with detailed directions before dispelling so Kakashi could summon him again and be made aware that reinforcements were coming.

"Sensei…before we meet Team 7 I'd like to propose a course of action," said Naruto, stopping Yūgao from heading off to meet Kakashi.

Yūgao folded her arms and looked inquisitively at her apprentice," Oh?"

Over their last few missions Yūgao noticed that Naruto had a tendency to do this from time to time. Normally it would be unusual for a jōnin–sensei to take advice from a newly promoted genin, especially on an A rank mission but Yūgao had learnt quickly that Naruto was brilliant when it came to strategy and tactics. Someone had shoved a disturbing amount of tactical information into Naruto's mind when he was younger. Most of it was theoretical of course, Naruto didn't have the experience to put all that information into practice, but that was all right since that's where she came in. Naruto would propose a course of action and she would use her experience to tweak and amend the plan to their particular situation. That arrangement had been working well so far, very well if she was being honest with herself. In fact she couldn't recall ever having worked so well, so quickly with anyone before. She definitely valued his opinion and once Naruto had reached chūnin and had a few more high rank missions under his belt she had every intention of recommended him for an ANBU position were hopefully they could continue to work together.

"Let's hear it," said Yūgao, deciding to hear her apprentice out.

"Well…right now we hold an advantage over Zabuza and Gato due to the simple fact that they're not aware that we're here in Wave. Even if they expect Kakashi to send for reinforcements as long as we hide our presence, we maintain the element of surprise," explained Naruto.

"So what… you're suggesting that we lay low instead of joining up with Team 7, ambush Zabuza, and… use Team 7 as bait," said Yūgao immediately understanding what Naruto was getting at. The element of surprise could be the deciding factor in taking out Zabuza, in fact it could make a difficult fight a lot easier provided their timing was right. She was a bit concerned that someone as young as Naruto was proposing using fellow rookies as a distraction. After being in ANBU for several years the idea wasn't foreign to her, she recalled one S class mission when an injured teammate had to stay behind so the rest of the team could get away, she had never seen him again. However she hoped Naruto wasn't too comfortable with the idea of using teammates as throwaway shoji pieces. The other concern was that they were Genin not ANBU, ANBU had a chance of surviving being distractions for an A rank nin, genin not so much.

"That's risky Naruto."

Naruto shrugged, "The reality is that they're targets, nothing's going to change that. We should use it to our advantage, the mission has a higher chance of success that way."

Yūgao sighed, yep he wasn't too concerned about their safety, but she knew he didn't intend to let them die, even if the only reason was because it would mean failing one of their missions. "All right, I see where you're coming from and I agree, but we will be monitoring them closely. What about Gato?"

"As far as I see it we have two options, either assassinate the head…so Gato himself, or destroy the company from the bottom up. Assassination is risky because another director could replace him and nothing much will change, but if we destroy the company's foundations then not only will we cripple the company but we will have Gato on the back foot, distracted and hopefully we can kill him as well."

Yūgao nodded her head; she had come to a similar conclusion on their trip over here. Taking out Gato wouldn't work, they needed to take down his company or at the very least his operation here in Wave, "You're right Naruto, but we'll have to do some groundwork. We were assigned this mission with relatively no notice so we don't have much information on the Gato Company's assets here in Wave."

"I can help there sensei…several years back I sent some shadow clones here to gather information, I know all about Gato and his company, though the info will be a few years out of date, " replied Naruto as he tried to recall what his clones discovered all those years ago.

"What did you discover?" Yūgao asked, she was aware Naruto used his shadow clones as spies and scout from time to time, but not that he sent them so far abroad.

"That Gato is bleeding Wave dry. His main source of income is the large port where most of the ships form Water Country pass through to deliver goods to Fire Country, but he also makes a lot of money through other means. There's a large brothel in town which he uses it to recoup most of the money he pays his mercenaries since they frequent it regularly. Unfortunately most of the women there are locals forced into work either because they're broke and owe Gato money or Gato's mercenaries have kidnapped them."

Yūgao clenched her fist at that, _this Gato needs to die and quickly, the man's a parasite._

"I also know that the Gato Company also traffics in drugs and slaves on the side, he stores both 'products' in the area but the location is not common knowledge," continued Naruto.

Yūgao thought for a moment, "We can't touch the port, to many ships from Water and Lightning Country pass through it, not to mention all the goods on their way to Fire and Wind Country. Its too hot, destroying any of that stock would create a huge incident...How significant are Gato's black market dealings?"

"Significant, but not so much that he can't survive without them, but...ah I see where you're going, if we were to take them out it would be a huge loss in profits for him, certainly enough to distract him from Team 7," said Naruto.

"I'm a bit worried he'll think Team 7's behind the attack," pondered Yugao, they didn't really need even more heat being brought down on them.

"Its possible, but not likely, he'll probably have them watched and Zabuza would have informed him that Kakashi is injured. The more likely scenario is that he'll think someone's moving in on his territory, Yakuza or someone like that," said Naruto, "Either way, if he does stick his head up out of the ground we can use that opportunity to chop it off."

"All right, so we know about the brothel, but as you said we need to confirm its still there. You know Naruto that place will likely have some information on Gato's other businesses. The sex trade and human trafficking are pretty closely linked, some of the woman must have come from his slavery operation," said Yūgao.

Naruto nodded his head in agreement, perhaps one of the women could give them more information, if not surely some of the guards at the brothel could be...persuaded to help.

"But first thing, we'll need fresh information if your plans going to work," said Yūgao.

Naruto made eight shadow clones who then henged into various civilians. "This is how I did it before, but that won't work as well if there are any decent ninja around, they'll detect the henge."

Yūgao nodded it would blow their cover before they were ready to move, "We'll just have to do it the hard way then."

"We won't have to do all the work sensei," said Naruto as he held up a scroll. He tossed it to a clone who unsealed it to reveal various sets of clothes and wigs.

"Something you're not telling me Naruto?" Yugao asked as she eyed the wigs, make up, various dresses and kimonos.

"Can't always rely on henge sensei, any competent ninja will see through them so sometimes its better to actually have a physical disguise," explained Naruto, silently hoping his sensei didn't think he was a cross dresser, something he only ever did when he needed to disguise himself as a woman. This was how Akeginu had collected information back in her time and she was adamant that he learned how to do it too. She didn't want him over relying on chakra based techniques. "So what do you want to be sensei; prostitute, rich man's mistress or travelling pharmacist?"

Yūgao gave Naruto a level look before saying flatly, "What do you think?"

Naruto just smiled warily and handed her the pharmacist disguise, "It won't be too much work, we only have to confirm that my old information is still accurate, and if it isn't then we will have saved a lot of time anyway."

"All right we'll go with your plan Naruto," said Yugao as she gazed at her new get up.

"What about timing sensei? When should we move in?" Naruto asked.

"As soon as possible and before Zabuza does. Hopefully destroying some of Gato's infrastructure will distract him from the bridge builder, maybe even divert Zabuza or any reinforcements Gato has ready. But that depends on how quickly we can gather the info we need and how accurate it is," explained Yūgao before pausing, "We'll need to inform Kakashi too, at least in regard to him and his team playing the distraction."

"They might be watching the bridge builder's place," commented Naruto.

"It's certainly possible and that's why I'm sending you. Use that amazing stealth of yours, sneak in there and deliver this message to Kakashi," ordered Yūgao as she handing Naruto a scroll.

"Unless you have a summons up your sleeve?" Yūgao asked with a raised eyebrow, she wouldn't be surprised, Naruto kept pulling out new techniques whenever he damn well pleased and she still hadn't had that conversation with him about his genjutsu. She tried not to feel hurt that he was still holding out on her but failed. She felt that they had developed a good repour over the last few months, but obviously Naruto still didn't think it was good enough to trust her with his true abilities.

"No…I don't have a summons sensei," replied Naruto giving her an odd look.

_I hope I didn't come across as too suspicious of him, _thought Yūgao. The last thing she needed was to distance him further, despite his personable demeanour she knew he didn't trust anyone, herself, Hayate, and the Hokage included. The boy had a wall up between him and everyone else, he hid behind pleasant banter and jokes, using them to brush away any attempts people got to know him. She knew he was showing large parts of his personality but she definitely wasn't seeing all of it. She couldn't help but reminded that the best way to lie was to tell the truth but not the whole truth.

"All right then, Naruto you deliver that and I'll set up camp. First thing tomorrow we'll head into town and start gathering intel," said Yūgao hoping to move Naruto thoughts along and back to the mission.

"I'll see to it sensei," said Naruto before disappearing in a cloud of blood.

* * *

Several minutes later Naruto was gliding through the trees heading towards Tazuna's house. As instructed by his sensei he was on route to inform Kakashi that they would not be joining his protection detail.

As he moved through one of the few woodland areas on the island he thought of Yūgao, she had been acting a bit odd around him lately. It has started ever since he used his new genjutsu on her in the capital. The casual banter that characterised their conversations was now strained and he wasn't sure why. Surely she knew before hand that he was keeping things from her, perhaps the reality of that being made obvious reminded her of it. He didn't have anything against her personally, in fact it was the opposite, he quite liked her. She was a competent kenjutsu user, had a professional attitude and treated him with respect that he had never really received from a Konoha citizen before. However, despite that, the fact remained that her priority was the Hokage and Konoha, not Naruto. He had little doubt that if ordered she would stick that chokuto of hers straight through his back. She certainly was reporting regularly to the Hokage about him and while that remained the case they could be nothing more than associates, transparency would be a dream and there would always be a wall between them. It wasn't personal but it was fact.

Honestly, he was a bit surprised she adopted his plan so quickly; he figured he'd have to be a bit more persuasive due to the element of risk involved. It was the right course of action of course, teaming up with team 7 meant simply waiting around for Zabuza to ambush them, not really a sound tactical move, but Konoha had an odd fascination with teammates, love and other positive emotions. He didn't really understand it, when he looked at Konoha he saw corruption, hypocrisy, and hate. To him the "Will of Fire" was a hopeless ideal, one not really conducive to ninja work and one, which Konoha only gave lip service to. He couldn't understand how Senju Hashriama came up with the philosophy. The man had been exposed to war his entire life, how could he have such an optimistic view on human nature? The Shodai Hokage was arguably the strongest ninja of the modern era, certainly not a fool yet he had developed such an irrational concept. Naruto didn't understand, it wasn't that he would abandon a teammate, he certainly wouldn't throw away Yūgao at a moment's convenience, its just that he believed that when put under pressure the darker aspects of human nature would win through, human's were selfish creatures and would always look out for themselves before anyone else. **(1)**

"_**That's easy for you to say dear, the only person you actually care about is a wandering spirit," **_said Kurama, typically she had chosen one of his rare and brief moments of reflection to voice her opinion. "_**You're not exactly putting yourself out there..."**_

"Why do you care?' Naruto asked, he couldn't figure out what angle she was trying to play.

"_**Wouldn't you like to know, but really shouldn't you be concentrating on your surroundings?"**_

"What are you up to Naruto?" Asked a voice from directly to his left.

"Fuck," exclaimed Naruto as he was abruptly thrust out of his musings with the Fox by the sound of a voice, indicating someone had actually managed to sneak upon him. Reacting instinctively he immediately body flickered twenty metres in the opposite direction and drew his katana, settling into a defensive stance with his katana out directly in front of him. However, he stopped when he saw the figure of Akeginu standing across from him with an amused expression on her face.

He took a deep breath and regained his composure; he could just hear the echo of Kurama's laughter inside his head. _Damn spirits, _it didn't matter how sharp his senses were he wouldn't be able to sense an intangible spirit unless it was something like a Yokai, that is something with its own unique form of power or chakra.

_Kurama, you distracted me on purpose didn't you?_

Naruto cursed when the Fox didn't respond.

"Akeginu, don't sneak up on me like that," said Naruto. He was happy to see her despite the initial stressful contact; he hadn't seen his sensei in person for well over a week.

"Oh? Naruto…you of all people have no right to say that," said a mirthful Akeginu.

"_**Tell me about it."**_

Naruto ignored both of them, the two women, and he used the term 'women' very loosely there, weren't even communicating and they were still on the same page. No doubt Yūgao would be laughing her arse off if she saw this.

"I see you got my shadow clone," said Naruto trying to move the conversation along before making a bigger fool of himself. Yesterday, he had sent a shadow clone to update Akeginu on the development and inform her that he would not be back for another week.

Akeginu gave him a knowing smile before responding," I did… I tried to find you but you had already left, so I followed you out here."

"Why?"Naruto asked.

"It's good to get out of those ruins every once in a while and it sounds like this Zabuza character is strong, so I wanted to see you kill him first hand," replied Akeginu.

"Nothing else?" Naruto asked.

"No," said Akeginu not looking him in the eye.

"Uh huh."

"Its possible that I…may have been a bit lonely there by myself, but what do you expect, I've gotten used to having you around…its pretty boring there without you to train with and its not like anyone else can see or speak to me," said Akeginu.

Naruto rolled his eyes, it was clear she was a bit concerned about him taking on someone strong but it was like pulling teeth out to get her to admit it. He decided to let her save face and move on, "According to his bingo book profile, Zabuza's skilled at kenjutsu and a master at silent killing."

"Pff, please I've been around for a while and I've never seen one of these new world ninja do something quiet. Silent killing is easy with all the jutsu these ninja have for support but even then they still don't do it silently… always screaming the names of their attacks for no reason, its annoying as hell. Try silent killing in broad daylight with nothing more than your kunai, if you can pull that off then you're a master at silent killing," said Akeginu as she finished ranting.

"I know, you taught me how to do that remember…you're not going nostalgic on me are you?"

Akeginu just narrowed her eyes at him. Naruto had just gone awfully close to calling her old and she knew just how to get back at him for it. As quickly as her eyes narrowed she adopted a sultry smile before walking towards Naruto hips swaying. Naruto stood still as a statue as he watched her before she passed straight through him.

Naruto shivered, it felt like he had just dived into freezing water or a cold wind had just blown directly through his body, "Damn it Akeginu, don't do that."

"Hmm…I've never had a man complain about being inside me before," said Akeginu with an ardent smile. _I've still got it, _she thought as she spotted his blush.

"Very funny," said Naruto blushing a little as he tried to ignore the image her remark conjured in his mind and failing miserably. Fortunately his hood and the darkness of night hid his blush from Akeginu. Though he suspected she knew exactly what type of reaction her remark would get out of him. Maturity and experience with Kurama aside Naruto was still a sixteen-year-old boy and Akeginu was just about the most attractive woman in the entire elemental nations.

Deciding to grant Naruto a reprieve Akeginu peeked over his shoulder at the bingo book that Naruto had pulled out, "Hmph, it says here he uses a six foot long Zanbato, what kind of silent killer lugs something that big around? You'd probably hear him coming from Iwa."

"He'd be able to move easier with chakra but sill, you're right it isn't a silent killing weapon…hmm, apparently Zabuza makes extensive use of hidden mist jutsu to hide his movements, and mask sound, just like we do," said Naruto.

"Hidden mist?"Akeginu asked.

"It's a jutsu that creates a thick mist using water manipulation, it's a standard jutsu of Kiri," replied Naruto.

"Well, now you definitely have to kill him," said Akeginu with certainty.

"What…Why?" Naruto asked. He had been planning to personally take down the missing nin anyway if only for the bounty, but he was interested in his sensei's reasoning.

"To prove that our Iga mist is superior of course, " replied Akeginu as if it was obvious. He had taken note of numerous of example of Akeginu's pride over the years, it was one of the few weaknesses the woman possessed, that and her undying hatred for anything Kouga related. Though it was that same drive to prove themselves the strongest and pass human limitations with their techniques that made them so formidable in the first place. "Is this your pride talking again?…And didn't you want me to keep the Iga techniques secret?"

"I don't want you showing people how to use your techniques, I never said anything about not killing people with them, that's what they're for after all. It fact I would like nothing more for you to slaughter every ninja you come across using Iga ryu. We revel in combat against other ninja, we're designed for it Naruto. That was the source of our hate with Kouga, two ninja clans existing in the same territory both wanting to be the strongest. It was only a matter of time before we came into conflict and over the years with so much blood being spilt all that was left was hate."

"That's very reasonable of you," noted Naruto surprised that she admitted Iga was as much at fault as Kouga.

Akeginu shrugged, "I'm not blinded by my hate anymore, that was what got me killed in the first place. I don't let it control my actions these days… though I still hate those bastards."

"Uh huh…so you want me to take Zabuza down using blood mist then?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, it's the best way to improve your use of it," replied Akeginu.

"The Konoha ninjas might see it, it'll raise questions," said Naruto.

"What of it? It's not like they can force you to teach them it. You've been able to run rings around their ANBU since you were ten, if they pressure you, you can simply disappear and they can experience your blood mist firsthand. Surely your Hokage knows this."

Naruto believed he did, it was one of the reasons the Hokage had started treading carefully around him, not to mention his tenant. If push came to shove he was confident in his ability to deal with whatever Konoha threw at him. Between his mystic eyes and his blood mist he was confident he could easily escape should Konoha decide to force him into a corner.

"Naruto, in terms of your Iga techniques you've reached as far as you can go with just training alone, you need experience against strong opponents to improve, this Zabuza will be the perfect stepping stone for you," instructed Akeginu, firsthand combat experience was the best way to grow as a ninja.

"Then so be it, before we leave Wave, Zabuza will be dead at my hands," said a resolved Naruto, Akeginu hadn't steered him wrong before.

Akeginu gave him a curt nod showing she was pleased with his decision.

"So…what do you mean when you asked 'what am I up to'?" Naruto asked referring to Akeginu's original question.

"You know what I mean. What are you really after here?"

"Nothing…," said Naruto, not looking her in the eyes.

Unfortunately Akeginu wasn't buying it, "You're after the Gato Company aren't you?"

"Am I that obvious?" Naruto asked, a bit peeved she figured it out so quickly.

"No, I just know you too well. I taught you how to think after all," replied Akeginu.

Seeing that she knew what he was up to Naruto decided to explain himself, "My intention isn't to take the Gato Company per se, that'll be in ruins by the time Yūgao and I are done with it. What I want is to relieve Gato of his hard capital, that'll still have value when the majority of the companies assets will be worth nothing or be food for creditors."

"Ah…so you're making contingencies…very good Naruto," said Akeginu, giving him a little applause.

"As you pointed out, my position in Konoha is precarious at best, its common sense to prepare for the future, " said Naruto.

"Do you plan to just keep the money?" Akeginu asked.

"Don't know yet, I'll decide after I get my hands on it and have a better idea of what type of figures I'm working with. To that end would you mind finding Gato's headquarters for me, my hands will be full dismantling his various businesses."

"Sure, it shouldn't be too difficult, I'll even scope it out for you," sad Akeginu.

"Thank you sensei," said Naruto, while he may find out where the headquarters is during his current assignment, Akeginu being ethereal could locate it much easier and even investigate with absolutely no risk. "All right, if there's nothing further I need to deliver this message."

"Don't mind me," said Akeginu as they headed south east towards the bridge builder's house.

* * *

Not long after their conversation Akeginu and Naruto arrived at the bridge builder's house where Team 7 was staying.

"So this is where the bridge builder lives?" Akeginu asked.

"Apparently. Team 7 is also there," replied Naruto as he examined the house. It was a wooden two-story structure on the outskirts of town with an amber coloured roof and pale wooden boards making up the walls of the building. Notably, the house was built on the sea with stilts used to keep it above sea level. This meant it was as accessible by boat as it was by the bridges that connected it to the Island.

"Can you go take a look?" Naruto asked.

"Fine, I'll be right back," said Akeginu taking off towards the house. Naruto watched her phase right through the door.

Several minutes later Akeginu exited the house and made her way to Naruto.

"Well?"

"They're all in there. The bridge builder's with a woman who looks like she might be his daughter in law or a really young wife, and a sullen looking kid that's most likely the grandson," replied Akeginu.

"What about Team 7," Naruto asked.

"Now there's a sorry bunch. Their sensei looks like he just ran to Iwa and back, he's completely exhausted. Its some mask wearing guy with one eye, and weird silver hair," said Akeginu.

Naruto nodded his head as she described Hatake Kakashi, the copy nin and sharingan user, arguably Konoha's strongest Jōnin, though Yūgao, and Might Gai might have something to say about that.

"The kids aren't very interesting either. One's just sitting their glaring at the wall, the others walking around with a fake grin plastered on his face and don't get me started on that pink haired child, the girl's an affront to every kunoichi in history. Its like she was raised by some sexist arsehole who designed her as an insult to the entire female gender," said Akeginu channeling her inner feminist.

Naruto could only agree with her assessment of Sakura, the girl was single-handily undoing all the good work done by women such as Senju Tsuande and Chiyo of Suna, women who worked hard to be regarded as excellent ninjas. Now anyone who saw her would associate kunoichi with women who just became ninja's to fawn over good looking guys.

"Naruto can you kill her for me? I'd do it myself if I still could," said a dejected Akeginu; she sounded like she really wanted to kill Sakura personally.

Naruto would be lying if the thought hadn't crossed his mind on more than a few occasions, "I'll think about it."

"Naruto," whined Akeginu.

"She'll probable be killed during the fight anyway," said Naruto trying to placate his sensei. "Anyway I need to go deliver this message," said Naruto as he escaped his sensei's pleas.

Keeping to the shadows Naruto made his way towards the structure, his mind thinking of the best way to enter. If the missing nin where doing there job properly the place was being watched, but his senses didn't pick anything up in the immediate area besides the people inside. _Still, better safe than sorry, _thought Naruto as he reached the building. Looking up he saw a window on the second floor, _that'll do_ _nicely_.

Ascending the wall he entering through the window and found himself inside a bedroom, several temporary beds were littering the floor.

_Team 7 must be staying in this room, _observed Naruto.

He peeked his head through the doorway and seeing that the corridor was empty, left the bedroom. He made his way silently down the hall, crouched down low like Akeginu taught him, so his knees would absorb his weight. She had trained him to walk across gravel and broken glass without making a noise, and even move across rice paper without marking it, something that was next to impossible without the deftest of footsteps. Akeginu speculated he could even move across a nightingale floor without making a sound, _too bad there wasn't one around to practice on._

He moved to the staircase and started to move down it, careful not to place too much pressure on the floorboards, a creaky floorboard had been the end of more than a few ninja. As he reached the ground floor he could hear a child yelling at someone. _Tantrum__? _Naruto wondered. His eyes opened wide briefly as he heard rapid footsteps moving his way. Jumping quickly he clung to the upper part of the walls and just managed to avoid the child charging past him and running up the stairs.

_That was close, _thought Naruto as he descended back down to the floor. That was likely the child that Akeginu had mentioned earlier. _I wonder what his problem is? No matter, it's none of my business._

Sneaking up on Team 7 wasn't necessary in the slightest, but it had been several months since he last observed them and he wanted to see if training under an A rank nin had improved any of them. Needless to say he had his doubts.

Peeking around the corner he got his first look at Team 7 since his clone had attended the graduation test. They hadn't changed much, Sasuke was brooding in his usual blue get up and his hair was still doing its usual imitation of a duck's arse. Sakura like always was fawning over him despite the fact that the Uchiha was clearly annoyed by her presence, if the frown and slight twitching of the eyes were anything to go by.

_Boring, _he thought as he turned his attention to the two more interesting members of the group, the Team leader Hatake Kakashi and a boy he had never seen before named Sai. He narrowed his eyes as he focused in on the boy Sai who despite appearing unaware was the exact opposite. _That one is more than he appears_, thought Naruto. The boy was pale, almost as pale as he was, with dark hair, and a creepy smile. He was paying particular attention to a book in his hands. Naruto could tell by the way he held himself that he was different form the other two genin, his awareness and mentality were on a completely different level. Where as the Uchiha was daydreaming, probably about murdering his brother knowing him, and the pink haired fan girl looked like she was suppressing the urge to masturbate, Sai's posture showed he was ready to react at any sudden threat, and the way his eyes moved around the room showed he was constantly vigilant. If not for the shadows cloaking the staircase Naruto was sure that the boy would have spotted him.

_Sai huh…he's like me, definitely trained outside the academy, I wonder who trained him? _He had an idea but as of yet had seen nothing that could confirm it.**(2) **_I'll have to watch that one more closely than the others._

His eyes shifted to the two civilians in the room, an attractive young woman with dark hair and pale skin, and a drunken old guy who must be Tazuna. They were explaining to Team 7 that the boy's father Kaiza had been executed by Gato for trying to resist him. Unfortunate, but common enough; it was the usual fate of those who tried to fight oppression. It took a lot of lives to successful achieve a revolution.

Deciding he'd seen enough and Naruto entered the room and moved up behind Kakashi, "Hello Kakashi-san."

* * *

Kakashi sighed, he was tired, very, very tired. So tired that even his literature wasn't enough to stop his eyes from trying to shut. Chakra exhaustion was always a pain. His fight with Zabuza had exhausted his chakra supplies completely, and they was still nowhere near the level they needed to be if he was to take on an A rank missing nin. He could only hope that his reinforcements arrived in time.

He had summoned Pakkun earlier in the day while he was training his genin. His ninken had informed him the reinforcements were on route and should be here either late tonight or tomorrow morning. It was a weight off his shoulders, in hindsight he should never have allowed Sasuke to talk him into continuing with this mission, the Hokage was going to tear into him when he, or rather if he got back to Konoha.

After Sasuke and Sai dealt with the Demon Brothers he had interrogated Tazuna who told him they were up against the Gato Company, definitely not a C rank mission. The Gato Company was one of the most influential corporations in the entire elemental nations, they would be able to afford the best ninja money could buy. He was proven correct when Momochi Zabuza, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, later attacked them. That could have ended badly, fortunately Sai had managed to use one of his ink creatures to break the water prison otherwise he and his team of genin would have been dead.

Looking over at his genin he wondered what he else could do to fix their current situation. He was definitely regretting not training them more before setting out on this mission, knowing a few jutsu or being just a little faster could make all the difference in the coming battle. After he figured out that Zabuza was still alive he started training his team properly, starting with their chakra control. Not surprisingly Sakura could do it almost straight away, her chakra reserves were next to negligible so it would have been almost impossible not to complete the exercise. Naturally Sasuke had trouble, being a member of the Uchiha clan meant his reserves were higher than normal so it would take practice before he could scale the tree. The boy was serious about his training though, so it wouldn't take long before he could complete the exercise. Sai had had completed the exercise relatively easily, something that infuriated Sasuke. It wasn't surprising though; the Hokage had informed him that Sai was likely one of Danzo's men sent to keep an eye on Sasuke.

Sasuke was an investment by the council so it wasn't surprising that the most influential member of the council had someone other than himself watching Sasuke. He had had his run-ins with Danzo before. The old man was dangerous and had tried to recruit him in his younger days after he had lost both his team members. Not many people knew about Danzo's influence unless he wanted them to, in fact he was pretty sure Tenzo and maybe Inoichi were the only ones beside himself in the ninja corps who were aware of Root, except for the actual members themselves. Danzo didn't exactly advertise for positions. As long as Sai didn't actively hurt Sasuke he was fine to let him be a part of the team. **(3)**

Thinking about Sai inevitably led his mind to the genin that Sai had replaced. The Hokage still hadn't told him what the deal was there, but whatever it was it was highly unusual. Originally the boy had been placed on his team because the council wanted a sharingan user present in case the Kyuubi took control. However, the boy had been reassigned at the last minute without explanation, he didn't know whether it was to make way for Sai or if Sai had been a didn't really have anything against Naruto, originally he had been a bit he ambivalent towards the boy as he contained the creature that killed the man who had been like a father to him, however he also knew enough about sealing and his sensei's skills to know that Naruto was completely innocent and certainly wasn't the Kyuubi, though there were still some risks especially if Naruto was injured badly. Nevertheless after the Kyuubi attack he had thrown himself into ANBU work trying to forget about the whole incident. He pushed back the guilt that existed in the back of his mind, the guilt which tried to remind him that he had essentially abandoned his sensei's son. **(4) **It wouldn't be the first time he had messed up badly and it was too late now to make much of a difference. Reports said that Naruto was the worst ninja prospect in history so he didn't take them seriously, he'd always been one to form his own opinion based on first hand evidence rather than second hand reports especially in regard to a subject as sensitive as Naruto. It didn't matter though, right now his focus was Sasuke, the boy reminded him too much of himself at the same age, a lot of talent and too much anger. If his promise to Obito meant anything he would help Sasuke overcome his trauma and turn help him make the most out of his potential. **(5)**

"Hello Kakashi-san," said a voice from behind him.

Kakashi lost his usual coolness and almost jumped out of his pants in surprise when he heard the voice from directly behind him. _How the hell did someone sneak up on __me__?_ Turning with reactions that could only be acquired through vast battle experience he drew a kunai and prepared to defend himself and his genin as he was greeted with the sight of a hooded ninja. He relaxed a little as his eyes immediately picked out the Konoha Hia-ate around the ninja right arm.

"You lot are a bit too skittish aren't you…last I heard Zabuza was still injured," said the ninja.

Kakashi look at his genin who were all standing up with kunai drawn, wondering whom this new ninja was. Turning back to the ninja he took a closer look at him. The ninja looked young but he couldn't get a good look at his face due to the hood he was wearing, all he could tell was that the ninja was very pale. Judging by height and build he was of similar age to his genin, but Kakashi's years of experience picked up on few notable things. Firstly the stance, this ninja held himself with confidence. Not the confidence or arrogance that came naturally from being brought up in a powerful clan like Sasuke but confidence that came from experience, this ninja definitely knew how to handle himself. He wasn't fooled by the casual way the ninja was holding himself with his armed hanging loosely at his sides; this guy was prepared to react to the slightest hint of a threat. He also took note of the katana on the ninja's hip, an odd place for a ninja to keep his sword as most tended to keep it on their backs so it didn't get in the way when moving around. Did that mean this ninja was a kenjutsu specialist? But as far as he knew only himself, Uzuki Yūgao, and Gekkou Hayate were considered highly ranked kenjutsu users in Konoha. Finally the ninja was dressed oddly, it wasn't the dark colours, which looked to be a mixture between black and navy blue, that was relatively standard. Nor was it the hakama pants, while they weren't standard issue amongst Konoha ninja they weren't that uncommon. No, it was the lack of a vest, the unusual sleeves and the sandals that stood out.

The lack of a vest meant genin, but that couldn't be right, any ninja that could sneak up on him had to be jōnin and a highly ranked one at that, but he didn't look very old either. _Very odd_, thought Kakashi, _is __this __ninja a new ANBU member?_ Then there were his sleeves; they were very long, almost too long and spread out wide at the ends for some reason. In his current stance with his arms hanging down the sleeves covered his entire arm and hands. _Wouldn't that be impractical? _thought Kakashi, _though maybe he uses them to hide weapons._ His sandals weren't standard issue either, in fact they weren't Shinobi sandals at all rather they were black dyed waraji with black tabi worn underneath. **(6) **It was an odd choice of footwear for a shinobi considering they virtually provided no protection or ankle support.

_I can't really comment on his clothes though, _thought Kakashi as his mind turned to some of the eccentric clothes various Konoha ninja wore. He shivered as he thought of Gai's green spandex.

"I don't believe we've met," said Kakashi, uncharacteristically eager to find out who this new ninja was.

"You're correct we haven't met."

"Ah…," mumbled Kakashi, a little off put by the ninja's abrupt reply and demeanour.

"I'm here with Uzuki Yūgao, we're your reinforcements," said the ninja.

It didn't escape Kakashi that the ninja had completely ignored Kakashi's attempt to get him to introduce himself.

"This is from Yūgao," continued the ninja in a business like tone as he handed Kakashi a scroll.

Kakashi took the scroll and read it quickly. "So Yūgao wants to ambush Zabuza, when he comes to attack the client?"

"Yes, it'll gives us the biggest advantage during the fight, an advantage I expect we will need. You and your team will act as the distraction."

Kakashi suppressed a sigh and nodded his head, no one ever liked being bait but the plan was sound, rather than simply adding to the protection detail Yūgao was going to use Zabuza's expectations against him and surprise him during the fight. It avoided in the worse case scenario in which Zabuza would call in his own reinforcements. Still, the plan put him and his team at risk, he would have to trust that Yūgao got her timing right. Between the two of them and the unnamed ninja she brought with her they should be able to deal with Zabuza and his associate.

"Just keep doing what you've been doing, we'll be in the area. See you around Kakashi-san," said the still unnamed ninja before disappearing in a cloud of red mist before Kakashi could question him further.

Kakashi's eyes widened at the unique shunshin, _was that blood?_

"Sensei who was that?" Sakura asked.

"Our reinforcements, he's with Uzuki Yūgao, an ANBU Captain."

"Was he ANBU too?" Sakura asked.

"I'm not sure…I don't think so he looked a bit too young, we can ask Yūgao when we see her."

* * *

The next day found Naruto and Yūgao wandering through the streets of town, both had ditched their ninja gear and were dressed as travelling pharmacists. Naruto had told Yūgao that the last clone he had sent here used this disguise and that he had the medical knowledge to pull off the charade. She hoped so because her knowledge of pharmaceutical products was extremely limited.

As they walked down the main street towards the port Yūgao looked around disquietly, "Was it this bad when your clone visited?"

Naruto shook his head as he looked at a couple of children in rags. "No, it was bad but not like this. Its looks like they've been suffering more in recent years."

"As the rich get richer the poor get poorer, it seems Gato and his cronies are the only ones benefiting from the influx of trade into Wave," said Yūgao.

Naruto agreed completely, as he looked around it was clear that any wealth that was coming in through the port wasn't filtering down to the locals, or if it was Gato was stealing it through illegal means.

Naruto slowed down as they turned the corner, "There it is Yūgao…up ahead, that's the brothel."

Yūgao looked towards the building. _So this is it, _thought Yūgao as she gazed at the structure. It was non descript, though it was in better condition then the surrounding buildings. It was a large two story, rectangular shaped building with a tiled roof and wooden walls painted red.

Yūgao checked their position. The building was located right on the edge of the port district. Close enough for visiting sailors to walk to, but still out of the way. _I'm going to enjoy burning this place to the ground._

Yūgao turned to Naruto, "I've seen enough, lets get back to camp and start planning. We can hit this place tonight."

* * *

"So how do you want to play this?" Naruto asked after they had gotten back to camp. His clones had just dispelled and he was now sure that his information was up to date.

"What information do we have?" Yūgao asked her apprentice.

"Not a lot, besides the brothel we know that Gato's trafficking human out of some place on the island but we don't know where," replied Naruto, "its the same deal with the drugs. Unless we get a witness or interrogate one of Gato's men we won't know."

"Okay, we'll hit the brothel tonight, then we can concentrate on finding his trafficking rings," said Yugao.

"It'll be simplest to just blow the entire structure with some explosives notes," said Naruto.

"Yes, but that would kill everyone inside," countered Yūgao.

"So," said Naruto with a shrug, "We're here to take down Gato not rescue townspeople."

Yūgao gave her apprentice a level gaze, "Nevertheless, if its possible I'd prefer to rescue them."

Naruto put both his hands up in a placating manner,"Relax Sensei, I agree with you, I'm just wondering how you plan on pulling off this rescue, it won't be easy moving people around town."

"It shouldn't be too difficult to neutralise Gato's men," replied Yūgao.

"True, I'm more worried about the women. What do we do with them?" Naruto asked.

"We can hide them in the forest until we're done."

"Maybe, but Gato's bound to search this place afterwards and the women can't hide like we can," replied Naruto.

"We'll have to take that chance, don't forget one of them may have the information we're looking for."

Naruto nodded his head, it was certainly possible that one of the woman came from the trafficking ring and could give them some more information on it.

"Get ready, we move into position at midnight," said Yugao.

* * *

_**Foot Notes**_

_**(1) **_He hides it reasonably well but Iga Naruto is extremely skeptical in regards to human nature. He's not quite misanthropic but he is antisocial, something which manifests in general distrust and scepticism towards people. It isn't a coincidence that the two 'people' that know him best are Akeginu and Kurama, both of which can't be considered human. Part of his development will be losing that misanthropy, not by becoming a naïve fool but by just learning to trust a select few people.

**(2)**Naruto has some awareness of Root, but not the exact nature of the organisation or who runs it, as far as he knows there's just another elite ninja corp besides ANBU operating in Konoha.

**(3)** I wouldn't read too much into this, he can't really do anything to remove Sai since a council member put him on his team and history suggests that he doesn't care enough to put up much of a fuss.

**(4) **Yes in my fic he knows, I'm pretty sure he did in canon too but I'm not certain. In regard to Naruto's heritage most will be ignorant of it. If too many knew it would have leaked at some point, so its Hiruzen, Jiraiya, Tsuande, Kakashi, Danzo (figured it out), Elders, maybe some of the clan heads (Nara, Aburame – they figured it out) .

**(5) **As they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

**(6)**For those who don't know they're Japanese straw sandals, common footwear back in the past. Eg. Shingami in bleach where them. Tabi are Japanese socks that have a split between the big toe and the other toes so they can be worn with sandals. Naruto wears the same footwear the ninja's from Basilisk wear.

* * *

_**Author's Notes**_

_**Kakashi was hard to write, canon doesn't really give us much of an idea about his intentions towards Naruto in Part 1. His actions suggest sabotage or indifference, I went with the later. It doesn't matter much either way; **__**Kakashi**__** was significant character in Canon because he was Naruto's sensei, in my fic he is not. Yugao is Naruto's sensei so she will be getting the focus.**_

_**I figure that Naruto knows how precarious his position in Konoha is, he knows that the Hokage is the only reason the Council hasn't either turned him into a mindless weapon or further restricted his activities. Therefore its reasonable for Naruto to make preparations for the event that his position in Konoha deteriorates.**_

_**We'll start to see some more development in regards to Akeginu/Naruto **__**from**__** now on. To date their relationship has been sensei/student, carer/caree, sister/brother etc, at least from her perspective anyway. However the reality of not having Naruto around as much anymore and possible not around at all will start to hit her and act as the catalyst as he spends more and more time away from her and the ruins. There will also be some conflict as other **__**women**__** appear on the scene, she already doesn't really like Yūgao, and she doesn't even know about Kurama yet.**_

_**Tune in next week for Yugao and **__**Naruto's**__** first action against Gato.**_


	11. Chapter 11 - Painting the Town Red

_**Chapter 11 – Nami no **__**Kuni**__** Part I: Painting the Town Red**_

_**Hey people, Tibo here.**_

_**In this chapter (and coming ones) we're going to delve into the rotten core of Gato's business empire. It was glossed over in canon, I don't plan on doing so here.**_

_**Warning: This chapter is quite violent due to frequent use of the ebon ropes and Naruto channeling his inner Albert.**_

_**In response to some reviews/questions:**_

_**Mommerally: **__Thanks for the good feedback. Having a receptive fan base is really good motivation to get writing and get the new chapter out of quickly. You picked up on exactly what I'm intending to do with Wave. I'm looking to set up groundwork for future plot lines , and especially some links to Water Country, which will feature heavily later in the fic (I like Kiri the most out of the villages). Speaking of OC's you see a few __in__ this chapter._

_**Bakapevert: **__In regards to the shunshin, as I understand it shunshin is not teleportation, but enhanced movement, as such it requires something to disguise the initial movement i.e. smoke, sand, water, blood. They can't __just__ disappear out of thin air since __it's__ not a space time ninjutsu._

_**Darkpirateking69:**__I get what you're saying about the skill level of the others, but Konoha academy's curriculum is what it is, they don't learn more advanced material __until__they are__ genin. I only changed the enrollment age so that they attended the academy and graduated when they were older. They didn't get extra tutoring from different teachers or spend twice as much time at the academy._

_**Gardien1204: **__I think so too, Sai will probably have the most interaction with Naruto out of the rookies, not that he's actually a rookie. I'll have to think about Orochimaru and __the__ mystic eyes effect on him, they'd destroy Pein's paths so I suppose they would at least have some detrimental effect on Orochimaru._

_**Guest post on 12/6/2012: **__See profile for info on spirit link. As for the bridge I would like to keep it as 'Naruto Bridge' but I haven't decided one way or the other yet as I have yet to finish planning the final chapter of the arc. In regards to a bird it would be an Owl, which also symbolise death in many cultures but are predators rather than carrion like crows._

* * *

**[Standard disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Basilisk]**

Despite the absence of a single cloud in the sky, darkness dominated the night, providing perfect cover for the two ninjas moving swiftly across of the rooftops . The new moon was in its infancy keeping the moonlight to a minimum, so the only concern for the two ninjas were the streetlights and the human presence below. It was several hours past midnight when they finally stopped moving, but despite the lateness of the hour the town was still relatively active. Drunks stumbled up and down the street, and several men were moving in and out of the brothel on which the two ninjas — Naruto and Yūgao — now stood. Unlike the customers the two ninja weren't there to sample the brothel's services. No, they knew it was one of Gato's primary sources of income and influence here in Wave, and had every intention of destroying it.

On the rooftop Naruto took a deep breath and performed a quick check of his equipment. He knew it was all there, but nevertheless he checked anyway. It was like a ritual to calm any last minute nerves he might have. _Katana - check. Ebon ropes - check. Shuriken -check. Kunai - check. Explosive tags - check. Spare scrolls - check. Good it's all there, _thought Naruto as he considered what he and his sensei were about to do.

The plan was simple, they intended to pin the mercenaries inside between the two of them. Yūgao would enter and clear out the ground floor, driving any escapees up the stairs, while Naruto would do the same on the second floor. After eradicating all Gato's men they would evacuate any of the women they found and then destroy the entire structure. Central to their plan was killing off all of Gato's men without making too much of a commotion. They didn't want to attract attention, as that would render any attempt to free the women moot. Nor could they afford a hostage situation. Once the women were free they would set some explosives notes and reduce the building to rubble.

In the event that they couldn't free all the women they would have to destroy the structure with them inside and cut their losses. It was harsh, but necessary, this place needed to be shut down one way or the other, and time constraints meant that they had to do it tonight less their other plans would fall to the wayside.

They also needed information, and there were three sources available to them, though only two were viable. Firstly, there was the women. If they managed to free all of them it was likely at least a few of them had some knowledge of the human trafficking operation, mainly because several probably came from it. Secondly, there were Gato's men. The problem with that option was that they had no knowledge regarding which of Gato's men had the information and it wasn't practical to take all of them prisoner, nor was it feasible to interrogate all of them on sight. After much discussion Yūgao and Naruto decided to forgo capturing the thugs unless one of them was an obvious leader or high-ranking person in Gato's company. Lastly, there were documents and files, but again it was not an option due to time restrictions; they simply didn't have the time to do a thorough search of the building since killing Gato's men would take time and they needed to be out of there quickly.

"Ready Naruto?" Yūgao asked. She was wearing her usual ninja clothes with a jōnin vest, but this time she also had her metallic Neko mask. She didn't want any witnesses recognizing her in case they needed to do some more spy work later on.

"Of course sensei," replied Naruto, who had his hood pulled right down so it cloaked the majority of his face in shadows.

"Then let's go," said Yūgao as she disappeared in a swirl of leaves towards a window on the ground floor.

Instead of following her Naruto descended like a cat from the roof to balcony on the second level. Silently, he entered the second floor of the building through a doorway that connected the balcony to a hallway. Sending out a pulse of chakra he sensed twenty people on this level, but he couldn't tell which were Gato's men and which where the prostitutes, all their chakra levels were much the same and he couldn't differentiate between genders.

There were two people in the room to his immediate right so Naruto decided to deal with them first. Acting quickly he opened the door as quietly as possible and was greeted with the sight of a man looming over a woman who was tied down to a bed. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the man intended, and Naruto didn't hesitate to act as he moved directly up behind the man and slit his throat with a kunai. Before the body could hit the floor and possibly alert someone , Naruto caught the body and rolled it to the side of the room.

Looking up at the woman he saw her trying to process what just occurred and struggling with it. Before she could scream Naruto darted towards her and clamped his hand over her mouth. He could hear her muffled sounds so he put a finger to his mouth indicating he wanted her to be quiet.

"I'm not here to hurt you…okay. Remain quiet and you'll get out of here," whispered Naruto. Admittedly, being told that by someone who just killed a person in front of you probably wouldn't be very reassuring.

Naruto looked expectantly at the woman and she nodded her head. Seeing that she was going to co-operate he let her go and stepped back off the bed. As he stepped back he got a better look her. Her appearance was quite striking despite the fact that she looked terrified and was trying to stave off a panic attack. She had very tanned mocha coloured skin with curly black hair that come down just past her shoulder. Despite the sweat and grime that covered her face, Naruto could make out her fine bone structure and full lips. She was a very attractive woman. A pair of striking emerald green eyes stared back at him in confusion, no doubt wondering who he was and what he was doing. Her clothes were little more than rags, barely covering a body that possessed some impressive curves. He tried not to focus on too overtly at the ample amount of cleavage that was on display. Instead he glanced down and took in the rest of her appearance. His sharp eyes picked up on what looked like scars on her stomach that reached around behind to her back as if to hide from his sight.

_Scars…from a whip?_ Naruto guessed.

The woman looked to be in her early thirties. Naruto hoped for her sake that she hadn't been stuck here too long. Such a life could break even the strongest person.

"What's your name?" He asked, thinking some light conversation would calm her down — she was almost hyperventilating now. He didn't want to have to hit her over the head, but would if he needed to.

She didn't reply; just kept staring at him with those wide green eyes.

"Is something wrong?" Naruto asked, unsure as to why she wasn't responding. _Is she too scared?_

Seeing his confusion the woman pointed at her mouth again and started opening her mouth trying to form words, but failing.

_Mute? He wondered._

"Can you speak?" Naruto asked.

She shook her head.

"Are you mute?"

She nodded her head while Naruto frowned as his thoughts settled on a number of dark possibilities. He moved towards the girl and grabbed chin to confirm his suspicions. She tried to struggle, but Naruto wasn't having any of it as he held her chin tightly, prying his finger in between her full lips and forcing her mouth open. Naruto's eyes narrowed at what he saw; the girls tongue had been cut out in a crude fashion. He crushed the spark of anger that flooded through his body, and reminding himself that the world was a harsh place, things like this were relatively common place.

"Relax woman," said Naruto as the woman continued to struggle, "I said I wasn't going to hurt you and I meant it."

Naruto took one last look at the woman's mouth before letting go, "Did these men do that to you?"

The woman nodded her head in reply.

_It was probably done as some form of punishment, _thought Naruto as he considered what had happened to the woman. He didn't like seeing things like this, it reminded him too much of his past living on the streets in Konoha. His time in Konoha had given him a good glimpse at the darker side of human nature and he had long since come to accept such things a constant in life. The strong will always prey on the weak and there were a lot a predators out there just looking for someone to victimize. It was certainly good motivation to get stronger; he was never going to be a victim ever again.

He considered the unfortunate woman who was now staring at him with wide eyes; her life would be difficult from now on. Like the slavery camp he had destroyed several months ago, it was a stark reminder that as bad as he had it in Konoha some people had it worse. _Someone always has it worse_. Communication was a fundamental necessity for social contact and Gato's men had robbed this woman of the ability to do it. Wherever she went from now on she would be treated as an outcast, and likely either pitied, ignored or taken advantage of. He knew personally what that was like, and wouldn't wish it upon anybody.

_Maybe I can show her some sign language, _thought Naruto, _but that can wait, I've got work to do._

Naruto took a moment to consider his next course of action. "All right, listen carefully," he told the woman. "I'm going to clear the out the other rooms and get rid of all the men. I'll send any other girls I find your way, and then when I'm done, I'll come get you and we can leave. Got it?"

The woman nodded her head so he untied her, she must have been tied down for a while because the ropes had rubbed her skin raw. Seeing that she was free and relatively unharmed, at least physically, Naruto let her get up. He couldn't comment on her mental state or the effects of the obvious past abuse. As he walked back out of the room he stopped when he noticed that the woman had moved to follow him.

"I told you to stay he-"

Naruto stopped talking and abruptly turned around, staring intently towards a door several meters down the hall. A few seconds passed before the door opened and a man walked out of the room. Naruto having already sensed the man was prepared and with little more than a twitch, he whipped an ebon rope straight at the man. The rope curved and then as Naruto twitched again it straightened out and cracked like a whip, but instead just striking and lashing the man the rope completely bifurcated him. Blood, and the constant of the man's insides, sprayed all over the hallway as the man's body was literally cleaved, diagonally in half.

Turning back to the woman Naruto could tell she was once again shocked by what had just happened. She was staring at the body like she couldn't believe what she had just seen. He could almost hear the gears turning in her head as she tried to figure out what had happened. It was this reason Naruto wasn't too concerned about using his ebon ropes in front of her. Firstly, she couldn't speak. Secondly, she couldn't see them; they were black and virtually invisible unless in direct sunlight. Thirdly, civilian testimony in regards to shinobi techniques wasn't exactly reliable and even if it was, all anyone would gain from questioning her is that Naruto was using some technique to cut people in half.

Naruto took a step towards her, but stopped when she took a step away from him, legs trembling. He put his hands up in a placating manner, "I won't hurt you, but you should stay here unless you want to see me do the same to the rest of Gato's men."

After he had said his piece Naruto turned around and continued down the corridor. The woman took a moment to think about it, before continuing to follow him. Looking back Naruto saw her following him though she stayed several meters back this time and tip toed around the mess Naruto had just made, trying in vain not to get any blood on her bare feet, but failing miserably.

Naruto sweat dropped. S_he didn't listen to a word I said_, _or maybe she actually wants to see me slaughter these chumps. I can imagine there's a certain sense of satisfaction in seeing these guys get their dues._

Moving along, Naruto proceeded to the next door down the halfway. He opened it and stuck his head inside room to take a look around. His senses told him four men were in here and he confirmed it as he looked around and saw four guys playing a game of cards at a round table. None of them had even noticed him opening the door. _Talk about unobservant, _thought Naruto, _they must be drunk. _With a simple wave of his hands Naruto took off all four of their heads simultaneously with one of his ebon ropes, before leaving the room and continuing down the hall to finish his work.

After he had exited the room the woman stuck her head inside the room and let out some unintelligible sound that sounded suspiciously like an 'eep', before moving quickly to catch up with him.

* * *

The woman, whose name happened to be Kiriko looked on in amazement as another headless body collapsed on the floor in front her. _Amazing, _was the only word that came to mind as she watched the young man destroy the people who had made her life a living hell. He was doing it with such ease that she could scarcely believe it. These were the very same monsters that had cut out her tongue just to scare the other female slaves into submission. The same monsters that had ripped her from her home, raped her, and had made her life barely worth living. And this man, no, this ninja was killing them like sheep; by her count he had already killed ten.

Kiriko considered herself to be a smart and observant woman, even more so after they had removed her tongue. It was the only way she could survive. Her family had married her off to a bastard of a husband, who had proceeded to get himself into debt with a subsidiary of the Gato Company. The next thing she knew she was being sold off like a piece of cattle to pay off the man's debt. Needless to say her life had been hell since then, but right now she had a chance to escape and she had every intention of taking it. With that in mind she tried to get a read off the young man she decided to call Ninja-san, at least until he told her his name.

She knew he was ninja from the way he dressed; they were common enough in Water Country with the civil war going on. Though she noticed that this one didn't wear the vests like most of them tended to. She also couldn't discover anything else about him. Ninja-san's face was covered so she could only observe that he was very pale and had smooth skin and full lips, which looked amazingly red as they contrasted with his pale skin. Ninja-san sounded male, but not very old. Judging by his height she guessed he was in his mid teens, but he was very slim so for all she knew Ninja-san could well be a woman with an extremely flat chest and a distinctive voice.

Looking ahead she saw that Ninja-san had moved a fair distance in front of her. Despite how scared she was at the moment she quickened her pace so she could catch up with him. She couldn't imagine anything worse than what she had already been through, so there was no way in hell she was letting him out of her sights. She would take her chances with this mysterious person who just might be able to save her, or at the very least provide her with the opportunity to save herself.

Ninja-san might help her, or he might not. Either way she could use him to escape. There was very little trust left in her these days.

She watched again as he calmly cut down two more of Gato's thugs. Try as she might, she just couldn't understand how he was doing it. He just looked at the men and they fell to pieces. It was disturbing yet exciting at the same time. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins and a spike of exhilaration hit her every time he cut one of Gato's men down.

_What's wrong with me? I'm enjoying seeing these men being butchered._

She noticed that Ninja-san seemed to know where the men were without actually seeing them. For each and every kill he made, he managed to attack and inflict a fatal injury before any of them were aware of his presence. In fact, all the men hadn't so much as screamed before they died. She also noticed that he was placing pieces of paper around the hall as he moved down the corridor, but couldn't work out why.

_So this is a ninja…I'd heard stories, but I didn't think they were this strong._

Ninja-san had entered another room and came out dragging a woman with him. She didn't look very healthy; her glazed eyes indicated that Gato's men had pumped her full of drugs like they did to a lot of the women here and back at the dungeons_. _They wanted them docile and easy to manage. Unless the customer requested a particularly feisty encounter they would keep many of the women drugged, particularly the 'troublesome' ones. They had drugged her before, on numerous occasions. It was a miracle she wasn't an addict. Shaking off the feeling of disgust_, _she ran up to the ninja and took the woman from him, trying to assist him in anyway she could.

_I think her name is Kiyomi, _thought Kiriko as she help the woman stand upright. The woman, Kiyomi, was barely aware of what was happening.

The three of them continued down the hall with her dragging Kiyomi several meters behind the ninja. She could hear a lot of noise coming from below.

"Looks like Yūgao has started…we'll have to move quickly," mumbled the ninja.

_Yūgao_? Kiriko wondered.

Eventually they came to the room at the end of the corridor, they could hear loud talking and laughing from behind the door. She knew that this was one of the function rooms and would probably be crowded even at this hour.

Ninja-san looked to be concentrating on something and suddenly said, "There are twelve people behind this door."

She gaped at that. _So, he does know how to see people without looking._

"Do any of the women work here directly for Gato?" Ninja-san asked her.

She shook her head. _Only that old woman got paid, but even she was just a prostitute who had been working here for a long time, no woman stayed here willingly._

"Good, that makes things easier. Stay back I'm going to clear this room out," the ninja said before kicking the door open. Her eyes widened in surprise as he disappeared in a cloud of red mist. She stood still, hand clenched to her chest, stunned at his sudden disappearance before she noticed that everyone in the room was looking at her. Surely they didn't they think she kicked the door in?

One of the thugs growled and the started marching towards her, "Bitch, what the fuck do ya think you're doing?"

Frightened, she started stepping backwards away from the man when he stopped abruptly. Looking at him she noticed his the eyes opened wide and mouth was twisted in a grimace. Then without warning the top half of his body slid off the bottom half; he had been cut cleanly in two.

Before she could react to the horrific sight in front of her she heard a scream to her right. Turning, she saw another of the mercenaries with his head splayed back and neck cut wide open, blood was flooding out of the wound like a river.

"Someone kill that bit-"

The thug stopped mid sentence as head toppled from his shoulders spraying blood all around the room. Seeing a chance to escape, the woman he was holding started running towards her. One of the men made to cut her down with his sword as she ran past, but his hands were swiftly severed by an unseen force. His head promptly followed.

_How is he doing this? I can't even see him, _wondered Kiriko as she looked on in a mix of wonder and horror at the chaos before her. Four of Gato's thugs were left out of the original seven that were in the room. They had finally woken up to the fact that she wasn't the threat and had moved into a circle formation, their backs to each other and weapons drawn facing outwards. To her it was an amazing sight, these men usually walked around like they owned the place, as if nothing could touch them. They would take what they want form local vendors, rip wives away from husbands and no one could stop them. Yet now they look terrified and all because of one single person. She could see their knees shaking and their hands struggling to hold on to their weapons. The young ninja was making them look like children in the midst of a terrible nightmare and she was reveling in it.

As abruptly as he disappeared the ninja reappeared in the middle of circle without the thugs even noticing. As if in response to his presence blood erupted from each of the thugs as something she couldn't see cut deeply into their backs forcing them to drop their weapons and crumple to the ground. By the amount of blood coming from their bodies she could tell they would die quickly.

_No more than they deserve, _she thought.

Seeing that all the men had been dealt with, Kiriko ran over to the women who were huddled together down on the floor looking terrified.

"Where did he go?" One of the woman asked, this one looked little more than fifteen.

She looked around herself, but couldn't spot ninja-san. _He disappeared again…wait…no there he is by the stairs, you can hardly see him in the shadows with those clothes of his._

The ninja was standing by the staircase and looked to be affixing something to the handle of the railing. As soon as he finished whatever he was doing he stepped back several paces and stood in front of the staircase as if waiting for something.

She wondered what he was doing when she heard heavy footsteps; someone was running up the stairs.

"Looks like Yūgao's got them on the run," said the ninja.

The words had barely left ninja-san's mouth when a huge man appeared at the top of the staircase. He was a giant, standing over six foot five with muscles bulging all over his body. He had a shaved head, and tattoos in several places. He also carried a giant metal club as if it weighed nothing. The man was a typical example of Gato's mercenaries, if a little bigger than normal. They all had a lot of brawn with little brains, and were vicious.

"Tch, another one. You ninja breeding in here or something?" taunted the massive man as he reached the top of the stairs.

Kiriko took a brief, worried, glance at the ninja when he didn't respond; she could see a wry smile on the visible part of his face. _He's not scared at all, _she concluded, but then again why would he be, he'd just killed a whole bunch of them effortlessly. It was reassuring and she drew a little strength from that fact.

Ninja-san's silence seemed to provoke the mercenary who roared and raised his club, charging at ninja-san who merely stood still. She would have yelled if she could, but could only watch as the man head detached from his body as soon as he left the staircase. This time the ninja didn't even move.

_Was that whatever he attached to the stairs? A trap?_

Ninja-san saw her confused look and said to her, "I booby-trapped the staircase," before closing his eyes and saying, "I think that's all of them."

Seeing that things had calmed down she decided to go check on the women, she could hear them whimpering at the sight of the now headless mercenary. As she walked over to them she took a look around the room, it looked like a slaughterhouse. Limbs and body parts were lying all over the place. Blood was everywhere.

She walked up to the women, six in total; she had left the one that had been drugged with them. Taking a closer look at the group she could tell that most of them were young, and only one of them looked over twenty. _Damn Gato, how can he do this to us? What did we do to deserve this?_

"Can you get those six women ready," asked ninja-san, "We need to move before we attract more of Gato's men."

She looked over to where the voice had come from, but could see nothing. _Where did ninja-san go?_

The oldest of the women was a dark hair girl who looked to be around twenty-five. She took the initiative and introduced herself and the others, "I'm Tomoe, this here is Yue, Lin, Mei, Imari, and Kiyomi."

"W-who was that?" Asked Yue.

She shrugged in reply; ninja-san never gave her his name.

"Yue, you know Kiriko can't speak, don't be mean," chided Mai.

"So your name's Kiriko," said a voice from above her.

Kiriko looked up and saw ninja-san…hanging from the ceiling by his feet. _Amazing, _she thought as the ninja finished affixing another piece of paper to the ceiling. The ninja was looking down directly at her giving her a better look at his face. She tried to keep from blushing at the sight, but failed miserably. Fortunately it was dark and her tanned skin hid it from everyone. Ninja-san had flawless white skin, and the bluest eyes she had ever scene. Gravity had his long, sunlight blonde hair hanging loosely down giving her a good look at his face. She could spot some distinctive marks or tattoos on his cheeks, but couldn't tell what they were without better lighting.

Suddenly ninja-san dropped down in front of her and looked towards the stairs again. Kiriko looked as well to see another figure climb up the stairs, only this time instead of one of Gato's thugs it was a strangely dressed woman wearing a Neko mask covered in blood.

"Stop there sensei, I set a trap up on the stairs," said ninja-san to the newcomer.

_Sensei, this woman's his teacher?_

Ninja-san moved across the room deftly with the grace of a cat. She noticed that his footsteps made no sound whatsoever. He paused when he reached the stairs where the other ninja waited and fiddled with something on the staircase.

"All clear," said ninja-san.

"All done?" The other ninja asked.

"Yes, I just planted the last tag, find any women down there?"

The female ninja nodded her head, "Close to twenty."

Ninja-san whistled, "Shall we go then."

"Yes. Fortunately for us this place isn't a quiet establishment, but we need to move before anymore…customers come in," said the female ninja.

"All right," said ninja-san as he turned towards Kiriko and the other women. "We need to move down stairs, now."

"W-what are you going to do to us?" Yue asked.

"Nothing, but we're leaving. I'm not going to force you to come, if you want to remain here then suit yourself," said ninja-san as he turned and followed the other ninja down the stairs.

None of the women responded, they just got up and followed him. Kiriko and Mai helped the drugged girl walk down the stairs.

* * *

Naruto cast a cursory glance around the room as he descended from the second level. Bodies littered the ground, many sporting slash wounds from a katana. If he had to guess Yūgao would have entered from one of the windows on the side of the building, and then picked off any of the men in the outer rooms before heading into the main room and killing the men in there. It looked like Yugao's part of the mission went fine provided none escaped. Brothels weren't exactly quiet places of businesses so they could get away with a bit of noise, but as Yūgao just said, they needed to leave before more customers tried to enter. He cast a glance towards the door and noticed Yūgao had barred it with a table.

"So, are we ready to move?" Naruto asked Yūgao as they reached the ground floor. Naruto noticed the women Yūgao had freed had congregated around the bar area near the back of the room.

"Yes, we're ready to go. We'll exit through the back door; it leads out onto an alley, which should be relatively empty this time of night. We'll head south-east out of town and stick to the back streets. Once we're clear of the blast radius, detonate the tags."

"All right, I'll go check that the alley's clear sensei."

Yūgao gave Naruto the go ahead, so he moved to the back of the room and exited the building through the back door. The door led out into a dingy alley, Naruto look down both ends of the small street and found it to be empty. He sent out a pulse of chakra and found the back alleys were also clear, at least for the next fifty or so meters. Most of the traffic was situated on the main streets of town, though with the size of the group they would likely be noticed. Fortunately the explosion should provide adequate distraction, most people will be more concerned with the fire rather than them and for those who did look too closely, well, he or Yūgao could genjutsu or knock out them out.

Having established that their route was clear Naruto went back inside and gave Yūgao the 'all clear' signal. Yūgao had organized the women into single file and instructed them to follow her.

As she reached the door Yūgao lent in towards Naruto and said, "I'll take point, you bring up the rear. Once we're about fifty meters from this place detonate the tags."

"Got it," replied Naruto.

Naruto waited until all the women had moved past him and out into the alley. He noticed that the mute woman Kiriko was lagging behind and looking at him.

"Go ahead, I'll be right behind you," said Naruto.

Kiriko gave him one last look before hurrying to catch up with the others. Once she was gone Naruto drew one last explosive note and affixed it to the door. _Getting low, _noted Naruto. Yūgao had used Naruto notes as well so he'd have to create some more before they started their next mission.

Naruto moved to follow the group and quickly caught up with them. Several women were malnourished, injured or drugged, so naturally they were moving at a fairly sedate pace. Surprisingly none of the women attempted to escape while they were moving. Perhaps their time at the brothel had scared them or they had simply given up hope.

Kiriko glanced back at him when he caught up to the group and he gave her a reassuring smile, or at least tried to, its not like he had much practice at doing it. It seemed that the woman had become rather attached to him, it wasn't surprising considering she had been tortured and exposed to those conditions for Kami knows how long. She'd likely attach herself to whatever chance she could to escape.

Naruto was aware of his surroundings and once they were fifty meters from the brothel he made the snake hand seal and smiled as he heard the sound of around thirty explosive tags going off at once.

_That's sure to get Gato's attention, _thought Naruto. He looked forward to the chance of finishing off Gato himself.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Naruto was finishing his work at the brothel, Akeginu was following a drunk mercenary named Waraji back to Gato's headquarters. She had found the thug at a bar quite drunk, bragging about how he was one of Gato's _personal_ bodyguards. She refrained from rolling her eyes or sighing in frustration, the idiot had made things painfully easy for her. She merely waited till he had finished drinking then started following him to his bosses location, though she had to wait around while he fucked a whore in an alleyway before he finally made his way back to Gato's headquarters.

As she followed Waraji she let out a bored sigh, being a spirit took all the fun out of stalking prey. _Its not even a challenge anymore. Where's the fun when nobody can see you and the chances of being caught are practically non-existent – unless of course, I run into someone like Naruto_.

Initially she thought that it was Naruto's Iga blood that allowed him to see her, but after discovering his demon or "yokai' as he called it she began to wonder if it was the presence of that creature which allowed him to perceive her.

She took another look Waraji, who had stopped to take his dick out and piss in the gutter. _Ugh, the things I do for you Naruto. He better appreciate this… he's been ignoring me lately._

If she were being honest with herself Akeginu would admit to being a bit jealous of that woman Yūgao. As Naruto's 'sensei' - Akeingu refrained from scoffing- she could go on missions with Naruto, assist him, be of use to him. She would like nothing more than to actually be of use on a mission, to help her fellow clan member and student in the field. _I could think of a few other…extracurricular activities as well,_ thought Akeginu briefly thinking about how attractive her student was getting. _Behave Akeginu, __s_he chided herself. However it didn't matter, that was never to be, and her relevance in his life would continue to diminish from now on as Naruto became increasingly independent from her.

_All good things must come to an end. I wonder what I'll do from now on?_

She stopped her depressing thoughts as Waraji finished his business with the gutter and continued on his way. Akeginu noticed that they were leaving the town and heading north along the coast.

_This Gato must live outside the town. He probably lives in some private mansion that takes up half the island._

Akeginu hoped Naruto was suitably wary of this merchant. Although people like Gato might not have martial abilities, money itself was a form of power, particularly in terms of the influence one could wield with it. The Iga clan had been brought down by back room politics in the Imperial court; she would not have Naruto repeating their mistakes.

_But I worry for nothing. Naruto's well taught, he knows better then to underestimate someone just because they're not ninja... I think._

She continued to follow Waraji for a good twenty minutes before the road veered off towards the coast of the island, and there standing on top of a hill, right next to the cliff face was a large mansion.

_Ostentatious, _thought Akeginu as she assessed the building with a calculating gaze. _It looks like he's chosen frivolity over practicality. Surely he's aware of how he's viewed by the locals, to think that he would compromise his own security by choosing such a visible place to live. _She knew why though, he thought himself akin to a Daimyo, untouchable in his own little kingdom. She smirked, in due time Naruto would correct that fallacious assumption.

Turning here mind to the task at hand, Akeginu quickly analyzed the building's security. _The guards posted at the entrance are not shinobi, look like mercenaries or ronin. The property is not fenced off so it is likely he has a substantial force of mercenaries to protect himself. Structure is only two stories, I thought it would be bigger. Note to self – check for subterranean levels._

After her quick analysis Akeginu followed Waraji through the front entrance. It seemed the man was well known by the other mercenaries, if the hand gestures, nods and greetings were anything to go by.

As she entered the building she did a quick assessment of the inside. It was very open, characterized by large rooms with wide-open spaces. The large staircase in the center of the room led up to the second floor where Gato would likely be located.

Staring at the unusual architecture, which was common in Wave country, Akeginu could help but think how differently the rich lived in this time. Sure they lived in large residence, indulged in opulence, but the stark change in architecture from 17th century Japan was yet another reminder that she was in a time in which she didn't belong.

_Or maybe I do belong, without me Naruto-kun would have-_ Akeginu stopped that thought, it didn't bear further thinking on. _Concentrate._

As she followed Waraji through the mansion she noted that there weren't a lot of places to hide. Naruto would be well advised to enter through a side window unless he wants to face off against a small army. Most of them may not be very skilled, but large numbers went along way to balancing the field. Although, with some of the chakra based enhancements Naruto had made to Iga techniques he would have a relatively comfortable time disposing of this lot. Defeating men in such numbers was something that would have been impossible in her time, even the strongest warriors or ninja would struggle to overcome such odds. But, as she thought about Naruto's wind enhanced Ebon Rope or the work he had recently be doing to her blood mist, she couldn't help but believe he would be able to kill them all. The thought made her proud. Naruto had taken the strengths of the Iga clan secret techniques as well as the standard ninja approach to combat from her time and combining it with some of the impressive chakra based techniques of the present. By doing so he would become stronger than ninja from both periods of time

_Is this what it feels like to see a student succeed? _Akeginu wondered.

Eventually Waraji led Akeginu to an office where two men were discussing something.

"Make sure the men are prepared, once that fool Zabuza kills that pest Tazuna, I want you guys to off him and that pesky kid of his. No one makes a fool out of me," said the older of the two men. He wore glasses and had bushy, greying hair with a thin moustache.

_This must be Gato, _thought Akeginu.

"I'll take care of it boss,_" _said the other man. He was much younger than the man she suspected of being Gato. He had straight silver hair, which was covered by a beanie and he appeared to be wearing mascara for no obvious reason.

"See that you do," said Gato.

Waraji stood quietly to the side as the two continued talking.

_So he wasn't making it up, he is Gato's bodyguard._

Akeginu moved into the room so she could get a better look at Gato. As she rounded the desk she noticed a women head bobbing up and down in Gato's lap.

_Poor thing, she only looks about twenty. Kami, I wish I was intangible so I could castrate this arsehole, _thought Akeginu as she watched the girl continue to service Gato. _Maybe I can get Naruto to slaughter every man in the building, he'd __do__ it if I ask him to._

Akeginu was by no means naive, she had had to do similar things and worse, to men she wouldn't normally touch with a ten foot pole, but it came with the territory. A kunoichi's life was not easy, but at least half the time she got to kill whoever she was sucking off. This girl would likely be subjected to this treatment her whole life, though that would change now that Naruto had taken interest in Gato's activities. The fool's time was just about up, her apprentice was thorough, Gato would not live out the week.

As if on cue one of Gato's grunts came barging through the door.

"Boss, the brothel…someone's destroyed the brothel," said the grunt between labored breaths.

"What?!" Gato yelled as he jumped out of his chair and pushed the woman to the ground. Akeginu turned her head so she didn't have to watch the old man put his dick back in his pants. She wasn't modest, but the sight of an old man's penis wasn't something she wanted to see.

"Tonight…the brothel was completely destroyed, all that's left is rubble."

"What about my men…the women?" Gato inquired.

"Don't know Boss, it's all rubble. We can't tell If anyone was inside or not."

"Shit," cursed Gato.

"Boss, do you think it's those Konoha ninja? Waraji asked, speaking up for the first time.

"Not likely, ninja are just expensive mercenaries. That idiot Tazuna can barely afford the protection he has, let alone direct operations against me. No, this is someone else."

"Who?" The makeup guy asked.

"Don't know. Damn it, this couldn't come at a worse time. First I waste all those resources trying to move into Fire Country only for that idiot Fuzuki to get caught, now this," said Gato in frustration. He then looked at makeup guy. "Go out and find out what the hell is going on out there. See if you can dig up any witnesses and find out if my men were killed or captured. Don't forget the women either, they're the property of the Gato Company, I need to know if they're alive or not."

"Got it Boss," said makeup guy as he hurried out of the room.

Gato looked to Waraji and said, "While Zori's checking out the brothel I want you to check on the slave pen and the opium warehouse. Someone's making a move against me, I just know it. "

"Yes sir," said Waraji as he left the room.

Akeginu couldn't help but smile as Gato just delivered everything on a plate to her. _Oh yes, Naruto will owe me big time, _thought Akeginu as she left the room to follow Waraji.

After leaving Gato, Waraji eventually led Akeginu to an underground tunnel, which led away from Gato's mansion. The tunnel was carved into the earth itself with wooden beams built in for support.

_Lucky I'm not claustrophobic, _thought Akeginu as she walked down the narrow tunnel.

The tunnel was lit by light fittings which were placed regularly along the tunnel. The tunnel itself was an impressive feat of engineering, and would have taken a lot of man power to construct. She didn't know if it was Gato's creation or if it existed before he moved to Wave, but whoever built it must have spent a fortune on its construction.

_Or maybe he used slaves, it sounds like he has a lot of them._

Akeginu continued to follow Waraji through the tunnel for quite sometime, but eventually the tunnel opened up. As she exited the tunnel the sight of a large cavern greeted her.

_Wow, _thought Akeginu as she gazed across the expanse of the cavern. Her eyes quickly made out the large inlet of water in the center of the cavern floor._Water; this must be a natural grotto. It likely leads out onto the ocean._

Despite the sheer size of the grotto what impressed her was the number of people inside it and the changes Gato had made to house them. Across the cavern she could make out a large number of cells carved into the cavern wall.

_There must be hundreds of them, _thought Akeginu.

Gazing below she could also make out a small dock and a stone watchtower set up at the entrance to the grotto.

_So, __they__ must transfer the slaves by boat._

Deciding to get a closer look, Akeginu left Waraji who was making his way down a ladder to the cavern floor. She noticed that some cages were located off to the side of the cells. Interested, she headed towards the cages and as she did her trained eye picked up on a few things. Firstly, she noticed just by the way the people in the cage held themselves, that they were trained in some for of martial art. _Are they ninja?_ Secondly, she noticed markings carved in to the cages and painted on the floor.

_Hmm, what did Naruto call these things? Seals, that's right – fuinjutsu. These markings must be keeping these ninja from using their chakra; otherwise they would easily be able to break free._ _Naruto needs to be informed of this._

Notably, two cages were different form the others. Where as most of these smaller cages held two or three people, these two housed only a single person respectively. One was a white haired woman who appeared to be around thirty years of age. Notably, this prisoner looked barely conscious. She was slumped forward, her head hanging down and her eyes shut. In fact the only thing holding her upright was the two chains attached to her wrists, which left her hanging by her arms in an extremely uncomfortable position. Akeginu could also make out a seal on her forehead.

The other was an older auburn haired individual; she looked to be in her mid fifties. She wasn't chained, but there were a number of seals around her cage. This one also had a seal affixed to her forehead.

_What makes these two different I wonder? Are they more dangerous then the others? More powerful?_

Deciding she had seen enough and needed to see Naruto immediately, Akeginu made to leave. Instead heading back up the tunnel she left via the entrance to the grotto, which opened up onto the sea. The sharp cliff face that greeted her meant it was not accessible by land unless one decided to descend from the cliff face and swim, or water walk in Naruto's case.

_I guess that's why its remained undiscovered. Its also only really accessible by boat which makes it ideal for transfers as well as protection form invaders._

Finished with her observations Akeginu headed back to the place where Naruto had made camp.

* * *

While Akeginu was making her way through the darker side of Wave, Naruto was watching Yūgao question the women they had rescued. So far the questioning had not proved to be terribly productive. All the women questioned were locals and had no knowledge of Gato slave trade operations. Others were aware that drugs were being sold in the area, but couldn't tell them where they came from.

_I suppose tonight's not a total loss, at least we got to shut that place down, _thought Naruto. _Still, I would have thought at least a few of these women would have come from Gato's slave trading._

Naruto felt a presence come up along side him and turned to see Kiriko standing next to him. She tugged on his sleeve to get his attention.

"Yes?" Naruto asked knowing he wouldn't get a verbal response.

Kiriko mouthed the words 'I…,' something. I_s she trying to say "I know", _wondered Naruto.

"Do you have the information we need? Naruto asked. When interrogating someone who couldn't respond verbally it was important to stick to close ended question, questions that could be answered with a nod or shake of the head.

Kiriko nodded her head in response.

"Do you know where the slavery operation is located?"

Kiriko smiled and nodded her head again.

Naruto smiled at her. _Finally, the information we've been looking for._

"Can you show me?"

Again, another nod of the head form Kiriko.

"What about the drug production? Do you know where Gato is making the opium?"

Kiriko shook her head in reply.

_Oh well, that would be making things a little too easy._

Naruto grabbed Kiriko by the arm and led her to Yūgao.

"Good news sensei, Kiriko here, has what we need," said Naruto as he pulled the woman in front of his sensei.

"Really? What kind of information?" Yugao asked.

"She can show us the location of Gato's human trafficking operation," replied Naruto.

"That sounds right, Kiriko's from Water Country," said one of the women. Naruto didn't recognise her so she must have been one of the women Yūgao had recovered.

"Water Country?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah…I…um…heard one of the men talking about what they did to her. They said she was a…slave from Water Country who needed to be taught a lesson."

"Is that true?" Naruto asked Kiriko.

Kiriko nodded her head.

Yugao drew Naruto and Kiriko aside. "Okay then, Naruto you go with Kiriko and find this place. I'll stay here and organize things. Leave some of your shadow clones on the perimeter."

"What do you plan on doing with the others?" Naruto asked.

"Not much, I'll tell them to stay here for a few days. We can make sure they have food, and I'll put up some genjutsus to hide the area from mercenaries. It won't be enough to hide them from Zabuza, but I doubt Gato will send him to look for them. "

"It doesn't really matter though, this town is large enough that the chances of one of them being recognized if they go back are slim provided they keep a low profile" said Naruto.

"True. Also I think it would take a day at least to get the rubble cleared, they won't start looking for the women until they know they're gone and hopefully by then Gato will have bigger things to worry about," said Yūgao.

Naruto nodded and motioned to Kiriko to follow a he left the camp.

* * *

Naruto and Kiriko had been walking south for five minutes when Naruto spotted Akeginu was standing ten meters to the left.

Naruto quickly made a shadow clone, which appeared right next to him startling Kiriko.

"Stay with my clone," Naruto said to Kiriko.

Not waiting to see if she agreed Naruto made his way to Akeginu and they walked deeper into the forest so they could have some privacy.

"So, what did you find?" Naruto asked.

"Exactly what you wanted and more," replied Akeginu.

"Really?"

"Of course. I followed one of Gato's bodyguards straight to his headquarters. It's a mansion about twenty minutes from town. Not too difficult to find, it's on a hill overlooking the ocean. You probably would have found it yourself pretty easily."

"Good… What did you mean when you said "more"?"

Akeginu beamed a smile at him, "You'll like this. In my travels I happened to stumble on the location of Gato's slavery operation."

Naruto smirked and put his hand on his hips. "Funny you should say that, in my travels I happened to find out the location too. Where do you think I'm heading now?"

Akeginu visibly deflated at little. "Oh, well that's no fun," she said as she peered over his shoulder, "So, I'm guessing you got the information from that woman you were with."

"Yep, it seems she spent some time there."

Akeginu suddenly smiled again, "Then that means you still haven't been there yet - right?"

Naruto nodded his head. They were on route to the location when they ran into Akeginu.

"Well, in that case I have news for you. The operation is situated inside a natural cave on the coast. It's only accessible via the ocean or a tunnel from Gato mansion," explained Akeginu.

"Smart, restricted access means they limit escape attempts as well as keep it hidden and inaccessible to the locals."

"There's hundreds of people inside the cave," said Akeginu.

"Hundreds! How big is this cave?" Naruto asked, though he shouldn't have been surprised, Gato was obviously reaping huge monetary benefits from the operation.

"It's a large natural grotto and Gato's made significant alterations to it like building cells into he stone. It could probably hold five hundred people," replied Akeginu. "Buts that not the interesting part. Some of those people are ninjas."

"Ninjas?" Naruto asked; the implications of that were disconcerting.

"That's right, ninjas. There must have been a couple of dozen of them in there."

_Yep, definitely disconcerting. There's no way Gato would be able to hold that many shinobi against their will unless he had outside help from a ninja organization or a hidden village._

"How are they preventing the ninja from escaping?" Naruto asked.

"I was just about to get to that. You see… some of the ninjas were covered in those seals you're so interested in."

"Seals. You're sure?" Naruto asked. Seals meant a Fūinjutsu user had been involved. Competent Fūinjutsu users were rare; while he couldn't speak for other villages you could almost count the number of people in Konoha who knew that art on one hand.

"Of course I'm sure, you don't think I've been paying attention to all that calligraphy you practice," huffed Akeginu.

Naruto mind raced thinking of seals that would be employed. "They must be seals restricting chakra access…possibly also gravity seals to limit movement."

"Can you remove them?" Akeginu asked.

"Possibly. Were the seals affixed to the ninja's directly or on the floor or cages?"

"Most of them they were on the cages or the floor, but two of them had seals on their bodies," replied Akeginu.

"Hmm, that makes things more difficult," said Naruto. Seeing Akeginu questing look he explained, "I only know he basic of sealing, the ones in the shinobi library at Konoha; gravity seals, storage seals, blood seals. However, countering seals requires reference to the particular seal being used. I know only the theory of it, and it's likely whoever placed the seals here has more experience then I do."

"Well at the very least you can free them, that's something," said Akeginu.

Naruto was about to reply when he felt two presences approaching. He recognized both so he didn't move. Akeginu had also detected the intruders and had stopped talking before chuckling as she noticed who it was.

"Don't your clones ever do their jobs properly," quipped Akeginu.

"It would seem not," replied Naruto, as he observed his clone and Kiriko approach. Naruto spread his arms wide and asked," What are you doing?"

"Hey, don't blame me. The girl moved to follow you virtually right after you left," said his clone.

"So, you're supposed to stop her, she's a civilian."

"What'd you want me to do, hit her over the head?" Naruto's clone fired back.

Naruto rolled his eyes and dispelled his clone in annoyance, "Useless things."

Looking to Kiriko, Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem to like following my instructions Kiriko."

Kiriko ignored him as she moved to stand beside him.

"Looks like you've got a fan," observed Akeginu.

Naruto just frowned at her. _Not helping sensei._

Letting out a sigh Naruto looked at Kiriko and said, "We might as well continue with our trip. Lead on."

He gave Akeginu a 'We'll finish this later' look as he walked past.

* * *

Ten minutes later Naruto found himself looking down a cliff face at the entrance to the grotto.

"So this is it?" Naruto asked.

Kiriko nodded her head.

"Once you get inside you'll notice a lookout station. Besides that, there are only a few guards patrolling. The cages and the water do most of the work," said Akeginu.

"All right," said Naruto as he made another shadow clone.

"Stay here and protect her. I'm going to check this place out," he said to his clone.

"Got it boss," said his clone.

Naruto gave Kiriko a reassuring smile before he moved down the cliff face using chakra to stick to the rock.

Reaching the entrance he repositioned himself and moved along the roof of the cave. He made sure to crawl along the roof so he wouldn't be seen by anyone. _No one ever looks up._

As he moved deeper into the cavern he spotted the lookout Akeginu had mentioned. It was a man made tower like structure. From his vantage point on the roof he could see two mercenaries standing watch, or at least pretending to; neither of them looked like they were paying much attention.

He quickly made his way past them and got his first look at the slavery operation, it was exactly how Akeginu described it. The cavern was huge, but extensive modifications had been made to it. Cells had been carved into the rock and there was even a small dock for slaves to be loaded on and off of ships. He made note of the small boat that was moored there.

Finishing his observations Naruto turned to Akeginu who was right next to him. "You stay here and keep a look out. I need to have a quick look at what I'm dealing with."

"Okay, be careful," said Akeginu as Naruto made his way to the wall of the cavern and descended towards the cells.

Instead of heading towards the cells where the majority of prisoners where Naruto made his way to the cages where Akeginu said the two ninjas with seals were being held.

Fortunately there were few patrols, he counted as few as ten mercenaries in the entire cavern.

_It seems they're relying on bars and seals to do the work for them. This operation has been set up to use the least amount of man power possible._

Avoiding the patrols Naruto positioned himself on top of the cage holding a restrained white haired woman. He noticed that the adjacent cage held a older auburn haired woman. He sent out a brief pulse of chakra which informed him that no mercenaries were in his general vicinity. However, his chakra pulse had the added effect of alerting both shinobi below him to his presence. Both women were now looking up at him with interest.

"Well, it seems captivity hasn't completely dulled your senses," said Naruto quietly. His voice traveled far enough for both women to hear, but no further.

The older of the two women merely raised an eyebrow at his remark while the white haired women hissed, "Who the hell are you?"

"Its polite to give your own name first, especially when talking to someone who could very well turn out to be your saviour."

The white haired women looked wide eyed in surprise at that. While the older woman got up off the ground with some effort and walked over to the bars of her cage to get a better look at him. After a moments consideration she decided to introduce herself, "I'm Terumi Sun."

Naruto's eyes narrowed in recognition. Simply put the Terumi clan was famous and regarded as one of the strongest clans in Water Country. Even in a place as egocentric as Konoha you could find out information about famous foreign clans if you looked in the right places. A certain book in the library had informed him that members of the clan were holders of an extremely powerful kekkei genkai. The bloodline gave them an incredibly high affinity with Fire, Water and Earth, which in turn provided them access to Futton and Yoton forms of nature transformation. The book was about forty years out of date so he had no idea of the clan's current standing in Kiri.

Terumi Sun herself was an interesting study. She looked to be in her early fifties, and despite her age Naruto could easily see that she had would have been stunningly attractive in her younger years. Even now her face was still attractive despite the harsh conditions of her captivity. She had shoulder length auburn hear and piecing emerald green eyes. She was dressed in what had once been a red dress but was now just rags. Looking into her eyes Naruto could perceive intelligence and an indomitable spirit that her captors had yet to be break.

Naruto turned his attention to the chained white haired woman below him, who rolled her bright violet eyes and replied, "Hōzuki Maya."

Naruto almost fell off the cage when he heard that. _The _Hōzuki _clan! Damn, two members of arguably the most powerful clans in Water Country. Konoha would pay a daimyo's ransom to get their hands on these two._

While the Hozuki clan did not possess a bloodline like the Terumi, they did possess some exceptionally strong water jutsus, the foremost of which was Suika no Jutsu, the ability to liquefy oneself. It was almost a carbon copy of the Iga technique used by Amayo Jingorou, which allowed him to dissolve into liquid form. The difference was that the Hozuki clan used water transformation to achieve it while the Iga clan version required some drastic alterations to the human body.**(1)**

Hozuki Maya looked to be about thirty and despite being chained and having been in captivity for what was likely a substantial period of time, she still looked incredibly fit. She had short white hair that was in desperate need of a wash and was dressed in remnants of what had once been dark purple shinobi clothes. The seal what was preventing her from using chakra and consequently hydrification technique to escape was displayed prominently on her forehead. The seal was an array of black bars arranged in a hexagon like shape.

"And you are?" Terumi Sun asked Naruto.

"Just a ninja passing through Wave," replied Naruto. "I-"

Before Naruto could continue he was cut off by an impressive amount of killing intent directed at him from the Hozuki woman. Naruto raised an eyebrow at her and gave her a smile, which only enraged her even more. If Naruto hadn't been exposed to Kurama or Akeginu the killing intent may have affected him, but having been exposed to the killing intent of those two on multiple occasions he could shrug of the woman's killing intent with ease.

"Well…I suppose I could introduce myself. Uzumaki Naruto, at your service," said Naruto after deciding to play nice and introduce himself to the two women.

"U-Uzumaki…impossible, they're all extinct," said an incredulous Terumi Sun.

"He-he, not quite," replied Naruto, interested that she had recognized his clan name.

"What's got into you, Sun?" Maya asked.

"Didn't you ever open a history book Maya? The Uzumaki clan was once one of the most powerful in the entire elemental nations. As masters of Fūinjutsu they ruled Uzushiogakure before they were all but wiped out during the Second Shinobi War. **(2)**

"They couldn't have been that strong then," Maya retorted.

"Really? It took the combined strength of several hidden villages to wipe them out," replied Sun.

Hozuki Maya looked impressed at that. _Its nice to know someone still remembers my clan, _thought Naruto. Hearing Sun talk about his clan reminded him of how Konoha had all but forgotten them despite proudly using their symbol everyday.

"So, what are two members from two of Kiri's more notable clans doing stuck in a cave in Wave? Shouldn't you two be fighting in a civil war or something?" Naruto asked. What he really wanted to know was how two obviously powerful kunoichi ended up as chattel on the slave market.

"I woke up in a dungeon after being knocked unconscious during a battle about a year ago… I think. Some masked ninja put these seals on me before I got on the ship. Before that they kept me weak by drugging and starving me," explained Maya.

"My clan was hit hard during the initial stages of the civil war, there's not many of us left. I was captured during the initial onslaught and was left to rot in a dungeon until recently when like Maya, I had a sealed applied by a masked nin," said Sun.

"Captive? Wasn't it supposed to be a purge? Isn't capturing you a bit counter-intuitive?" Naruto asked_, or was the whole anti bloodline stance a ruse?_

"The purge is the Mizukage's creation. There's plenty of corruption in Kiri these days. Someone under the Mizukage's command recognised an opportunity to make a profit and used the situation to their advantage. **(3)**. Any one of the hidden villages would pay a fortune for my bloodline or the secret to the Hozuki clan's water techniques," replied Sun.

_That's true, _Naruto thought. T_he Konoha Council would be practically frothing at the mouth to gain access to the Terumi clan bloodline. It seems on of the Mizukage's council members or high ranking shinobi has made a deal with Gato, and Gato probably made deals with one of the villages for these two._

Naruto took a closer look at the seals on the women. He couldn't get a good enough look at the Terumi woman's one, but he could see Hozuki's Maya's one clearly.

Staring at the black rectangles that made up the hexagon shaped array Naruto considered his options.

_I don't know how to counter that, _he thought.

"_**But I do," **_Kurama sub vocalized.

_Fuck._

"_**Maybe we will, maybe we won't. Come visit me after you're done here, it seems we have things to discuss.**_"

…_Fuck._

Resigned to another tense discussion, or possible rape by the Fox, Naruto let out a sigh. "I think I can help you two, but I am wondering whether or not I should."

Hozuki leveled her killing intent at Naruto, but once again he shrugged it off.

"Relax Hozuki. I'm just making you aware of the realities of your situation. I'm not here to rescue a couple of Kiri ninja's. I'm here to take out Gato and his operation, rescuing you two is not my priority."

Sun smiled at Naruto seemingly understanding what Naruto wanted, "Well I'm sure Maya and I can help you in exchange for our release."

"Oh?"

"What would you like to know?" Sun asked.

"Guard numbers. Rotations, if you know them. Is there a man in charge? Anything on who put that seal on you."

"All right, I get you. Hmm, there aren't too many guards here, the cages and seals do most of the work, so any man power is mostly used to keep intruders out and or move people onto boats. Not sure who's in charge, but some guy called Waraji calls the shots around here."

_It seems Akeginu was right, I need to pick up this Waraji fellow, _thought Naruto.

"What do you know about Gato?" Naruto asked.

"Next to nothing. I hadn't even heard of him before being transferred here. All I know is that he runs this whole operation, I've never seen him personally," replied Sun.

"What about the seal?"

"It was done by some masked ninja, no defining characteristics," said Maya.

"Likewise, he could have been from any village, though the seals weren't put on till we were transferred here," said Sun.

"That's true, those Kiri fuckers used drugs," added Maya.

"If you want my advice then I suggest looking into Gato's business partners, you'll likely find the person responsible for the seals there," said Sun.

_Interesting, yet another avenue of investigation, _thought Naruto.

"Okay…you two are from Kiri, what can you tell me know about Momochi Zabuza?" Naruto asked.

"The Demon of the Mist?" Maya asked.

"Yep, he's here working for Gato." Naruto replied.

"Arsehole, what's he doing working for that scum," exclaimed Maya.

"How far has Kiri fallen that one of the Seven Swordsmen would be in the service of a mere merchant?" said Sun.

"Well he's not on Gato's payroll if that's what you're thinking. He's here to kill one of the locals who is attempting to ruin Gato by building a bridge to allow for free trade. Its highly likely I'm going to come into conflict with him," said Naruto.

"In that case I think Maya would be in a better position to answer your question, her cousin was a member of that group of ninjas," advised Sun.

"Ha, you're screwed kid. He'd eat a rookie like you for breakfast," said Maya.

Naruto didn't let the insult bother him. It was true, he would stand little chance against Zabuza in a straight up sword fight, but straight up fights were never Naruto's preference so he merely replied, "We'll see."

"Zabuza might not be as good as my cousin Mangetsu, but he's still a monster. All of the swordsmen were. I still remember sparring against Mangetsu…I never stood a chance," said Maya.

"I already knew he was tough, what else can you tell me?" Naruto asked.

Maya twitched, "I was getting to that, don't interrupt me. Zabzua wields Kubikiribōchō, the Executioner's blade. The blade is capable of absorbing blood-"

"Absorbing blood?" That would be a problem. Naruto had intended on using his blood mist if confronted by Zabzua, but if his blade could absorb blood then-

"Stop interrupting me," said an angry Maya. "I said it can absorb blood, or more specifically the iron in the blood, but it only does so to rejuvenate nicks and scratches in the blade or to keep it sharp, it doesn't just drink blood."

_Then provided his blade's not damaged I should be able to employ blood mist without any obstacles, _thought Naruto.

"He's also working with a partner, any idea who?" Naruto asked.

"No idea," replied Maya.

Naruto decided he had heard enough from these two. He had already resolved to help them despite what he may have implied earlier. With a flip he landed in front of Maya's cage giving both women a better look at him.

"Damn you're young. What are young fifteen?" Maya asked.

"Close," replied Naruto

"I don't see a hitai-ate," observed Sun.

"Yeah, me either. What village you from?" Maya asked.

"I might tell you after I free you. Don't worry it's not Kiri," said Naruto.

"Fuck you," said Maya.

"All right, I think I've heard enough," said Naruto as he tossed Sun a kunai. "Keep that on your person, you may need it."

"Thank you," Sun said gratefully.

"If all goes well you two should be free sometime today. Until then," said Naruto as he turned and left the two women to their own thoughts.

Moving swiftly Naruto quickly located Akeginu. "I've got what we need, you ready to leave?"

"Wait a second. Over there, do you see that idiot with the tatoos?" Akeginu pointed across the water to the other side of the cave.

"Mmhm," replied Naruto.

"That's Waraji. You should interrogate him, he's one of Gato's bodyguard's and he knows where the drugs are."

Naruto look with interest at the man who had broken off from his conversation with the two mercenaries and was walking to the back of the cave.

"Good, it looks like he's heading back to the tunnel, go grab him Naruto," said Akeginu.

"All right, I'll meet you back outside," said Naruto before quickly using a shunshin to move about ten meters behind Waraji.

Moving silently Naruto stalked Waraji to the back of the cave before moving up behind him and kicking the taller man in the back of the leg, forcing him to his knees. Naruto followed up the takedown by putting the man into a chokehold, quickly cutting off the circulation of blood to his head. After a brief struggle Waraji quietly fell unconsciousness.

With his new source of information in hand Naruto quickly used shunshin to move outside the cave.

Dragging Waraji by the colour Naruto made his way up the cliff to where Kiriko and his clone were waiting.

"Took you long enough," said his clone before dispelling.

Naruto ignored the remark and looked at Kiriko. "Lets head back to camp."

* * *

Back at camp Yūgao let out a frustrated sigh, "Ladies please, I need you to calm down."

"Calm down, you're telling us we can't go home," yelled one of the women.

"I not saying you can't go home. I am telling you to wait. If you really want to I can take you to the edge of the forest and you can make your way from there, but I'd strongly suggest waiting. What do you think Gato will do if he finds out there were no female bodies in that explosion? Do you really want to risk being captured again? Just wait a couple days, that's all I'm suggesting. He won't find you here."

_Good, that seemed to shut them up. Now where the hell is Naruto__? He's__ been gone for almost an hour._

As if on cue Naruto appeared at the edge of the encampment with the mute woman and motion for her to come over.

"So what'd you find?" Yūgao asked after making her way over to him.

"Follow me," said Naruto as he led her into the forest. As he was walking Naruto explained to her what he'd found, "Kiriko was right, she led us straight to the slavery operation, and I checked it out."

"Good. How many slaves are we dealing with?" Yūgao asked

"Couple of hundred."

"Really, that much?" Yūgao asked.

"Yep, what's more a few of them are ninja."

"Ninja? How?"

"Seals. I found what looks to be gravity and chakra suppression seals on several cages."

"Damn, that means we could be sticking our nose into another villages business," said Yūgao. _Either that or Gato spent a hell of a lot of money setting up this little slavery operation._

"My bets on Kiri," said Naruto before shrugging, "It doesn't really matter though, orders are orders sensei. Either way if we kill Gato this slavery ring is destroyed. We either break it and help them escape or kill Gato and leave them to starve."

"True. So who is this?" Yūgao asked as Naruto led her to a well built, tattooed man tied to a tree. She noticed a katana on the ground; it wasn't Naruto's.

"I found this guy giving orders around the slave pens," explained Naruto.

"Oh, so we finally found someone to interrogate," said Yūgao.

"Mmhm. Do you want to do the honours or shall I?"

Yūgao took a step forward and flashed Naruto a smile, "I don't mind. Can't have my student doing all the work now can I?"

"Well…I suppose not," said Naruto from behind her. Yūgao thought she caught a glimpse of Naruto looking at her behind and was sure he was busy checking her out as she walked towards the prisoner. She didn't mind, Naruto was a teenage boy after all.

Her attention turned to the prisoner as the man made a sleazy smile and said, "Why don't you untie me babe and we can have some fun."

Yūgao smiled straight back at him. _Oh I'm going to enjoy this, _she thought before driving her knee straight into the man's crotch.

The man tried to scream, but it came out more as a squeal.

"Now listen carefully, I'm only going to say this once. I'm going to ask you a few questions and you're going to answer them to the best of your ability, understand?"

"Fuck off Bitch," said Waraji before spitting at Yūgao.

Yūgao looked back and Naruto. "This was how you did it, yes?" She asked as she drew her chokuto and stabbed Waraji in the shoulder.

This time the man let out a high pitch scream as the sword penetrated his flesh.

"A few centimeters to the left sensei, you missed the nerve cluster," observed Naruto.

"Oops," said Yūgao before pulling out her chokuto, causing the man to let out another scream, and reposition the sword as Naruto instructed.

"You should probably answer her questions. This time it will hurt a lot more," said Naruto.

The man looked at Yūgao with real fear in his eyes, all his previous bravado gone, "All right I'll talk, just don't stab me again."

"Good. Now tell me about this slavery operation Gato's got running."

"Look Gato doesn't tell us grunts much," the men started to say before Yūgao , pressed her sword into his shoulder.

"Okay, Okay. Gato set up the slave ring years ago before I ever worked for him. All I know is that most of them are either refugees from the war in Water Country or people who can't pay off their debts."

"What about the ninja?" Naruto asked.

"Um…Gato's got some deal going with Kirigakure, that's all I know. They give him ninjas and he sells those ninja for big money."

"To who?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know, it's all done quietly through agents. Most of the ninja villages would pay big money for other villages ninja," said Waraji.

"What about the drugs?" Yūgao asked.

"I don't-"

"I wouldn't lie to her, she will put that sword through your shoulder," advised Naruto.

"Tch…You don't understand, Gato will kill me," said the man.

"I'll kill you right now if you don't start making yourself useful," threatened Yūgao.

"All right, all right, take it easy. Gato keeps the drugs in a large warehouse. It's inland, about thirty minutes east of town, you can't miss it – a giant wooden warehouse."

"'Keeps? He doesn't make them?" Naruto asked.

"Make them? No, Gato doesn't like to get his hands into production. He's a buyer and seller, importer, exporter."

Yūgao removed her sword from the man shoulder and indicated to Naruto that she wanted to talk.

"What do you think sensei?" Naruto asked once they were a few meters away.

"I think we've got enough to act on. Get some rest Naruto, we'll hit the slave operation in the morning then we can check out the drug warehouse afterwards."

"What about our prisoner?"

"Leave him there, if his information is wrong we might need to interrogate him again."

"All right, see you in a few hours sensei," said Naruto as he left. he could hear Waraji complaining in the background as Yugao binded his shoulder wound.

Naruto didn't return to the camp where the women were, he left Yūgao to get that place organised. Instead he went back to their camp deeper in the forest. He had a couple of hours before Yūgao would come and get him and he needed the privacy for his conversation with Kurama. It was time to find out what the Kitsune knew about Fūinjutsu.

* * *

_**Foot Notes**_

_**(1)**__ I'm not sure if this is the case, but Amayo looked like he had advanced leprosy, so for the purposes of this fic it is. Does anyone know if the Hozuki clan's technique is a hiden jutsu?_

_**(2) **__Not sure if this is exactly right, the manga just says they were destroyed in the war but not which one. However, the timing __is__ right for the second one (i.e. it happened when Kushina was a kid)._

_**(3) **__I based this off Kisame's background. According to his story many of the council members were aware that the Mizukage was being manipulated by Obito but went along with it._

* * *

**Author's Notes**

_**If you **__**don't**__** like OCs **__**I**__** wouldn't be too concerned, none of my OCs will have major roles. They're there to provide depth. For example Kiriko was put into the story to replace Inari, essentialy as a plot device to make the people of Wave's suffering more personal to Naruto. Naruto will help Kiriko like canon Naruto helped Inari, though he won't be throwing a tantrum any time soon. My inspiration for Kiriko comes from the mute women from Yugo - The Negotiator.**_

_**In regards to the two women from Kiri, in canon we don't get to meet a lot of Kirigakure's people so I had to make some up. Naruto will be involved in some business with Kiri later on so **__**I'm**__** setting up some connections for future arcs.**_

_**Tune in next chapter for the resolution of the other two operations against Gato and Naruto/Kurama interaction.**_


	12. Chapter 12 - Secrets Beneath the Waves

_**Chapter 12 –Nami no Kam Part II: Secrets Buried Beneath the Waves**_

_**Hey people, Tibo here.**_

_**Wow, great reception for the last chapter, almost got me to 500 reviews. It's really good motivation, especially considering the last chapter was mostly original material. The OC Kiriko was particularly well received.**_

_**In this chapter we see Naruto taking down Gato's empire plus some Kurama interaction as well. **__**I talk about fuinjutsu a fare bit in this chapter. In canon it always struck me as odd that Naruto never bothered to learn much about it. Admittedly he's probably too stupid to learn it, but it's his heritage so you'd think he'd be interested in his mother's family, but apparently not.**_

_**I've also discovered that Fuinjutsu is not easy to write about. Lets just say that finding any info in the manga on it was difficult (like most things in Naruto its not explained at all). Ultimately i decided to use some semiotics and post structuralism to explain it - those symbols must means something right?**_

_**For those who are wondering about the chakra suppression seal it's a Chinese hexagram **_**(This probably gives it way but I'm pretty sure I wasn't clear last chapter when I described the seal as a hexagram).**

**_Again warning, this is a violent chapter. We'll see the long awaited return of hard ass Naruto who hasn't been seen since the Mizuki beatdown._ **

**In response to some reviews:**

**Joe the Lawyer: **In regard to Naruto goal, it's something I've spent a lot of time thinking over and simply put right now he doesn't have a clearly defined long term goal (that's not to say I don't have one planed, but I don't want to spoil it). While I could say he wants to rebuild Uzu, or the Iga clan, neither goal would be an accurate reflection of his character right now . Obviously there's Akeginu, and no doubt she wants him to rebuild her clan (and Naruto is aware of this). But right now his primary motivation is to become strong enough to never be a position to be victimised again, and have enough resources to not be beholden to anyone. In Basilisk the Iga clan were reluctant servants of Tokugawa (who ended up getting rid of them because he couldn't trust them not to rebel). So independence will be a strong motivation for Naruto.

Those two goals will put him in a strong position to pursue his eventual goal which will be made clear by the end of Part 1 (A large part of the material in Part 1 will be the formation of Naruto long term goal/motivation).

_**Hakka the great: **_Its certainly another angle to consider. I already planned on Naruto having naturally good sensory ability (in ref to Kurama's ability to sense negative emotions in canon).

I've read Naruto: The Specialist by Vaarnarash, I'll check out the other one.

_**Mommerally:**_I plan on giving Zabuza some backstory. Not till next chapter though. I'm not sure if he'll have much of an effect on Naruto though, unlike cannon Naruto, Iga Naruto won't be talking to them or sleeping in the middle of nowhere.

**DarkPirateKing69:** Eventually there will be a confrontation between the Naruto and Kurama but it's a while off. Right now its sort of like a cold war state, but eventually something will set them off.

* * *

**[Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Basilisk]**

"_**Now listen carefully Naruto, I'm not going to say this twice. There's no such thing as a generic counter seal. Every seal is different, unique and to counter one you need an equally unique seal. When you counter a seal what you're attempting to do is unseal whatever was sealed.**__** Countering seals requires depth of knowledge, you need to understand what you're looking at and only then can you counter a seal succesfully. Depending on your choice of action, you can completely neutralize a seal, disrupt it, or even create a completely new effect," (1)**_ explained Kurama as she paced back and forth in front of Naruto who was sitting down on the ground in front of her.

"Yeah, or I could just...I don't know... look at them," quipped Naruto with a smile.

Kurama just gave Naruto a level gaze before speaking in an equally level tone, _**"Yes of course you could use those overpowered eyes of yours, but as I understand it you wish to keep those gems secret. So unless you desire for those two Kiri nin to have knowledge of your bloodline you would do well to be quiet and listen.**_

Naruto could read between the lines. She was saying, 'shut up, don't dare interrupt me and concentrate_.' _So, he decided to be quiet and concentrate on what the fox was saying before the creature adopted a more physical approach to getting the her point across.

Normally Kurama wouldn't be caught dead lecturing on a human subject. It would totally ruin her reputation, but Fūinjutsu was the exception. It truly was the one art of human origin that she actually respected. The other arts such as ninjutsu, and genjutsu were just poor imitations of the powers of vastly superior beings. Their elemental manipulation was pathetic when compared to the power of an elemental. Their genjutsu pales in comparison to the power of a kitsune or even a...tanuki **(2)**. She ignored the Sharingan's abilities, there wasn't anything remotely human about that mutated monstrosity. It was a mere corrupted remnant of a far more ancient dojutsu, something that was better left buried in the past.

So why did she respect Fuinjutsu? Because in theory it essentially allowed a human to achieve the impossible, even restrain something as powerful as her. Pride aside, Kurama was not stupid, if she found a threat she would do everything within her considerable power to discover its weakness. After being successfully sealed into three separate Uzumakis, Fūinjutsu had done more then enough to establish itself as a threat to, if not her existence, then definitely her freedom.

Kurama stopped pacing and stood in front of her host. She tried to ignore the ridiculousness of the situation. _Me teaching a human about Fuinjutsu...Mito would be rolling over in her grave if she knew._

In contrast to her usual appearance, Kurama had donned a black kimono at the request of her host. Normally she wouldn't demean herself by dressing in human garments, but it seemed Naruto had finally reached his limit. If he was to concentrate he needed her to put some clothes on. Still, she made sure the kimono exposed enough cleavage to unbalance her host, if only a little. The kimono was nothing special, just plain black, but she made sure the cut accentuated her impressive curves and that it appeared to be made from the finest of materials. In reality it wasn't, but in her current state inside the seal she was essentially formless so it wasn't too difficult to conjure up some clothes. She found that the kimono contrasted well with her luscious red hair that cascaded down her body in waves. Her hair wasn't straight like most human females that she had seen through Naruto's eyes, instead it was thick, wavy and came down just below her breasts.

Returning to her lecture she pierced her student with a gaze from her crimson eyes, and smilied as she felt him stiffen under her gaze. _  
_

_**"Let's look at your seal...what do you know of it?"**_

"Next to nothing, the old man isn't exactly forthcoming with information about it, and there's no trace of the seal in any of the books in Konoha."

_**"That's not surprising. It's an Uzumaki seal, and a very powerful one at that.**_**_It consists _****of**_** two **__**Shishō Fūin (Four Symbol seal) seals functioning in concert using a method called Hakke no Fuin (Eight Trigrams Sealing Style)."**_

"Hakke no Fuin?"

_**"Its no surprise you don't know of it. It's derived from an Uzumaki technique that allows for the combining of seals. According to Uzumaki Mito it's an Uzumaki method that allows for two four symbols seals to work together. In this case your father used it to **** not only seal me inside you, but to also allow you access to my chakra."**_

"So my seals act like a filter for your chakra?"

_**"That's an oversimplification, but if that analogy helps you understand, then yes. Your seal essentially filters my power so that you can make use of it."**_

"So the Yondaime actually knew what he was doing?"

Kurama sighed, "_**It would seem so, but lets not get side tracked we're talking about countering seals. Your seal would be extremely difficult to counter, but if someone were to place a seal like...let's say...th****e **_**_Gogyō Fūin, a Five Elements Seal, on top of your seal, it would disrupt your seal and likely cause it to function poorly._**_**"**_

"Why" Naruto asked.

_"**Because any seal, especially your seal, is the result of a very precise equation. In your case, your seal references an even number of elements while the Five Elements Seal has an odd number. On a seal as complex as yours, that would be sufficient to cause a severe disruption in the effectiveness of the seal."**_

Naruto looked a bit concerned at that, "But, not neutralise it, right?"

"_**Correct, your seal is not that easy to break. "**_

"Are you going to show me this Five Elements Seal?"

Kurama wasn't surprised her host was interested in the seal if it could disrupt his use of chakra. "**Maybe**_** later, for now it's not neccessary."**_

"So...Is it actually possible to neutralize my seal?"

Kurama took a moment to think, her mind searching through her memories of Uzumaki Mito at a speed humans could only dream of. "_**Theoretically it is... though I'm not sure exactly how one would go about doing it. It's highly likely that there's a failsafe built into your seal, one that will allow for the seal to be completely removed."**_

"Really? Isn't that...um...extremely dangerous?" Naruuto asked, now even more concerned.

_**"Yes, but I wouldn't worry about it, it's not altogether uncommon, especially with the more complex seals. Failsafes save the creator from having to come up with an equally complex counter seal in the event they want to remove the seal. It's usually kept a secret."**_

"You wouldn't happen to know what this fail safe is would you?" Naruto asked.

"_**No, it's merely guesswork. I don't know what it is or if it even exists. All I know is that Uzumaki Mito's more complex seals had keys that would allow her to instantly remove the seal, and since the Yondaime Hokage was taught Uzumaki style sealing by his wife and that white haired moron, chances are your seal has a key as well."**_

"You probably wouldn't tell me even if you did know," commented Naruto. The sentence summed up their current relationship pretty well. There wasn't much trust there.

"_**True, that kind of information is valuable, especially to you,"**_said Kurama with a sly smile. **"_But let's get back on track. Seals are a language, each symbol has significance. Some signify chakra, other's signify how the seal is intended to function. It's like a sentence or a mathematical equation, to make sense all the symbols have to be in the right place. Of course the problem is interpretation, people interpret things differently and in the case of seals it's the interpretation of the creator that counts. This makes countering them all the more difficult because to counter a seal you need to understand what it's doing and what each symbol's function is. "_**

Kurama waved her hand and a hexagram shimmered into existence beside her head. Unlike the hexagram Naruto had seen on the women in the cave this one had two vertical bars at either end, with two columns of parallel bars running between them.

"This is the counter seal?"

"_**Yes, this is counter seal you require.** **Now tell me, what do you see?"**_

Naruto got up off the ground and walked over to the seal. After giving it a close examination he responded, "I think I understand. The smaller bars signify chakra, while the large bars represent the source and limits of the charka. This bar in the middle is the barrier. It's essentially blocking the person off from their own chakra."

"_**Good, you understand. That seal is relatively straightforward compared to the one's the Uzumaki's used, so it follows that it was relatively easy to interpret. The skill level of whoever created is no where near as good as Mito or either of your parents. As you probably noticed, I utilised the same symbols as the original seal, once you start mixing different types of symbols and significaions together the process becomes much more complex."**_

"So this will neutralise the seal?"

_**"Yes, once you apply it the other seal should disappear completely. There are other ways of removing the seal, but I wouldn't recommend them."**_

"Such as?"

_**"Well...you could overload the seal with chakra. It doesn't work on advanced seals, but you can destroy a seal by burdening it with too much chakra. Of course it usefully results in an explosion, hence it not being suitable."**_

Naruto considered that before replying, "All right. Thank you for your assistance Kurama."

Before her host could disappear from the mindscape Kurama darted in at him and grabbed the back of his head. She brought his face down towards hers and she slipped her tongue between his lips as she kissed him. As their tongues intertwined her leg made its way in between Naruto legs and started brushing his groin.

"_**Don't be a stranger," **_she whispered in a husky voice as his form melted away leaving her alone in the vast expanse of Naruto's mind-scape.

_He ran? How cute._

* * *

As he exited his mindscape Naruto let out the breath he had been holding in. Unconsciously his tongue brushed across his bottom lip tasting blood where one of Kurama's sharp teeth had nicked him.

_That woman is trouble, must she always put me off balance ?_

"Is something the matter Naruto?" Akeginu asked . She had been watching over him while he was meditating.

"No," Naruto replied.

Akeginu eyes narrowed as she no doubt spotted the blood on his lip, "What were you two doing in there?"

"Nothing much," Naruto lied.

Akeginu merely raised one of her well maintained eyebrows and and huffed, "You honestly don't expect me to believe that do you?"

"I got the seal I need," said Naruto, changing the subject, something which didn't go unnoticed by Akeginu.

"Oh, and what did the demon want in return?" Akeginu asked. While she didn't know a lot about them, demons weren't exactly benevolent creatures.

"Yokai," Naruto corrected, "She's a yokai, and she wanted nothing."

"Nothing? That doesn't sound right," observed Akeginu with concern.

Naruto privately agreed with her. To say that he had been surprised when Kurama had 'volunteered' to show him how to counter the sea was an understatement. Such generosity was extremely incongruous with Kurama's usual behavior; the kitsune never did anything for free.

With that being said, he had no idea what she was up to, in fact he wouldn't know where to begin trying to find out her plans. Kurama kept her intentions well hidden and trying to read a yokai was a fool's errand and Naruto was no fool. Of course it would be reasonable to conclude that the Fox wanted her freedom, but that was a long term goal. Kurama would know he would never consider removing the seal so it begged the question - what did Kurama hope to gain by teaching him Fūinjutsu?

"It doesn't matter, for now anyway. I need to draw up these seals and meet up with Yūgao," said Naruto in reply to Akeginu's observation. Right now they had more pressing concerns.

"If you say so, but be careful around that fox. Nothing survives for a thousand years without being either extremely powerful or cunning, and in this case I can't help but think it's a bit of both," said Akeginu as Naruto drew a brush and started painting symbols on a piece of paper. He also made some shadow clones and had them practice making the seal.

"Is there any thing you need me to do today?" Akeginu asked as she watched Naruto paint the seals. It was something she enjoyed immensely; Naruto was brilliant at calligraphy.

"Um…If you can, see if you can find Zabuza and his associate. It's not vital, but if you can find out when they plan to attack I can plan around it," said Naruto.

"No problem, bye," said Akeginu as she disappeared.

Naruto smiled as she left. Having an invisible friend gave him an unparalleled advantage when it came to information gathering, so much so that it was almost unfair…_almost._

* * *

Inside Naruto's subconscious Kurama was smiling at her host's confusion. Simply put, the boy had no chance of figuring out what she was up to. That wasn't a slight against Naruto, her host was brilliant... for a human. He just lacked the information necessary to arrive at the correct conclusion.

A brief frown marred her otherwise perfect features as she considered her plan. It had taken a lot of work to get where she was now. Initially she had been ecstatic when she found out what kind of life her host had been living. Orphaned at birth, despised or treated with indifference by the majority of the populace, abused, outcast. It was perfect. She excelled in manipulating negative emotions and her host was a breeding ground for them. There was some much anger bubling away under the surface, or at least there used to be.

Her plans came crashing down the same day her host met the woman of the Iga clan. Years passed and all she could do was watch in frustration as her host matured and the Iga woman moulded him into an exceptional weapon.

_Weapon...that's not right either. The woman had raised him to be a clan head, not just a disposable weapon._

Now instead of a insecure, naive, attention starved moron who would give into his emotions at the slightest provocation, she had to deal with a mature, self aware individual with the mental control most human adults could only dream about. How was she supposed to make a puppet out of that? Oh how she wished she wished she could have made contact with Naruto earlier.

Faced with that considerable obstacle to her plan she had fallen back on what came naturally to her - seduction. After all, she was a master shapeshifter, it was easy for her to take the form of an incredibly attractive women. Furthermore, for the first time her host was male and males of every species were idiots in the presence of an attractive female.

However, that course of action had not proved as productive as she'd intially hoped. While Naruto was definitely affected by her appearance, he was by no means completely under he influence. His sensei had educated him well; the boy saw her seduction coming a mile off. Even when they were having sex Naruto remained on guard.

_In hindsight I may have been a bit heavy handed, _thought Kurama looking back at their initial meeting. _I was definitely a bit out of practice._

It was clear that blatant attempts at manipulation would only have the effect of making him even more guarded around her, and that was something she certainly didn't need. So instead she was forced to consider more subtle means of influence.

Eventually she had come to the conclusion that Iga woman had the right idea. She needed to mould her host to fit her purpose. The Iga woman needed someone to recreate the clan and make it relevant again, so she had moulded him into an incredible shinobi with an unusual degree with political awareness. She needed to do the same. The problem was that her host was no longer an impressionable child. Nevertheless, she didn't need a puppet; she only needed Naruto savvy enough to make amendments to that damn seal.

If Naruto wanted access to her full range of abilities then something would need to change. The seal only facilitated access to her raw power, not her techniques. If Naruto wanted them he would need to get her to hand them over willingly and she had no intention of doing that unless it would reap her considerable benefit.

A small smiled graced her features. If things played out the way she planed she would soon have greater freedom in Naruto mindscape and then she could affect a change in circumstance. **(3)**

_After all, I'm not the only one stuck in here._

* * *

One hour later Naruto and Yūgao stood at the edge of the cliff overlooking the entrance to the grotto. It was around ten in the morning, but due to the remote location of the grotto they risked little by operating in broad daylight.

"So this is it," said Yūgao as she gazed down at the mouth of the grotto.

"Yep, once we get inside we'll come across a watchtower with some men on lookout…we'll probably need to deal with them first. After that there was only a few men on patrol," explained Naruto as he recalled his previous visit to the place.

"Good, that makes things easier. Have you considered how we remove the slaves though?" Questioned Yūgao. According to Naruto there were quite a few, extraction would be difficult.

"Um…there was a small boat in there. It would require a few return trips to move everyone out, but it certainly... serviceable…we could use that to get the slaves out," suggested Naruto.

"You think so?" Yūgao asked, a little skeptical. "I would have thought you'd employ Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

Naruto face palmed, "I really should have thought of that."

"Don't worry about it, at least I got to be some help to you," said Yugao with a little sarcasm.

"Some of the ninjas there should be able to water walk as well."

Yūgao's eyes narrowed a little at the mention of the ninja. "True, but be careful around them Naruto. There's a lot of bad blood between the hidden villages…stay on guard."

Naruto nodded his head in agreement. "Got it sensei."

Naruto refrained from mentioning the seal that had been placed on Terumi Sun and Hōzuki Maya. It wasn't that he didn't trust his sensei, rather, he wanted to keep that particular detail out of the mission report. He would bet money on the Council kicking up a fuss if they found out he had the opportunity to bring two bloodline users to Konoha and didn't take it. Also, there was nothing to say that one of Konoha more influential council members wasn't financing this operation. Informing his sensei wasn't worth the risk.

"Ready?" Naruto asked.

Yūgao nodded her head," Let's go."

As they finished their discussion the two ninja moved quickly down the face of the cliff. Like Naruto did earlier that morning they used chakra to cling to the surface of the rock and entered the grotto by moving along the roof of the cavern. They made there way slowly forward, clinging to the rock so as not to alert the mercenaries to their presence.

After a few minutes Yūgao and Naruto found themselves above the watchtower. Two mercenaries were casually chatting on top of the tower, not really paying attention to their surrounding.

_You get what you pay for, _thought Naruto. He could see Yūgao shaking her head as she looked at the two men. Their lack of attention would cost them their lives.

Yūgao gave Naruto a brief nod in the direction of the mercenaries, indicating she wanted him to take them down.

Naruto nodded his head in response and dropped down to the floor of the watchtower, directly behind the two men. Neither of them noticed him as he landed without making a sound. Instead of attempting a risky dual takedown, or letting Yūgao see his ebon ropes, Naruto released some of his pheromones and quickly captured the two men in a genjutsu. The only indication that he had cast a genjutsu was the smell of white plumbs in the air. It only took a few seconds before both men collapsed, unconscious after being exposed to his **Genjutsu: Sleep Induction**. On this occasion Naruto maintained control of his genjutsu and didn't let it affect Yūgao. With both the men unconscious Naruto moved towards them and rolled both of their bodies over the edge of the tower and into the water below. His genjutsu was strong enough that even the shock of falling into the sea water would not wake them, in fact they would never wake again.

With his task complete Naruto quickly made his way back up to Yūgao.

"Nice work Naruto...Genjutsu?" Yugao asked.

Naruto nodded his head in reply. "Yep, that was my Sleep Induction genjutsu again."

Yugao twitched at the mention of that particular genjutsu, "I didn't sense you cast it...again."

Naruto didn't comment on that so Yugao just shrugged and they made their way further into the cave. As they reached the area where the slaves were being held captive Naruto smiled as his sensei's eyes went wide in surprise. She had the exact same response he did.

"Impressive isn't it," commented Naruto.

Yūgao nodded her head in agreement, "It's amazing… Just like an underground prison."

Naruto took a closer look at the 'prison' and sent out a pulse of chakra. Besides the many signatures coming from the cells and cages Naruto could identify ten chakra signatures moving around the area. It seemed the guards were patrolling the area in pairs.

"Gato's has ten men here sensei," said Naruto.

"Yeah, I can sense them as well… we'll take them out two at a time. Start with those two on the edge of the prison," instructed Yūgao.

With that they moved forward towards the two mercenaries patrolling along the outskirts of the area. As soon as they were positioned above the two mercenaries Yūgao dropped from the cavern roof, flipping in mid air as she fell. Naruto noticed that she drew her chokuto in a fluid motion and held it in a reverse grip so that when she landed on the man her sword plunged straight through the man's back. The action was loud enough to attract the attention of the guard walking in front of Yūgao, but he was prevented from raising the alarm when Naruto's shuriken hit him in the throat.

"Nice shot Naruto," said Yūgao, praising her apprentice's aim.

"You weren't too bad yourself sensei," said Naruto as he dropped to the ground beside her.

The two ninjas immediately separated and hid their presence behind two cages as they sensed another patrol about to round the corner.

As the two nin disappeared from sight two mercenaries came into a view. The two men broke out into a run as they saw their comrade's bodies lying on the ground. Yūgao and Naruto let the two men pass them before moving out behind them. Naruto darted up behind the guard on the left and drew his katana faster than the eye could see cutting straight through the man's back. At the same moment Yūgao lunged forward and pieced the back of the man on the right with her chokuto.

_Four down, six to go, _counted Naruto as he cleaned the blood of his blade.

The two ninja quickly found a position where they could see the rest of Gato's men . Fortunately they hadn't attracted any attention yet. Four more of Gato's men were congregating around the dock area while two more where standing watch on some scaffolding on the other side of the area. Naruto knew from Akeginu that the scaffolding led to the tunnel where Gato's mansion was located.

Yūgao surveyed the scene quickly before turning to Naruto to explain their approach. "Naruto, we can't take out those guys on the dock without alerting the other two up there, so we're going to take them down at the same time. I want you to get into position up there and wait for me to make my move. Once I attack, take out those two men while they're distracted."

"Got it sensei," said Naruto before disappearing to move into position.

It didn't take Naruto long to make his way behind the two guards. They were lounging against the scaffolding chatting about something inconsequential. Now all he had to do was wait for his sensei to take out the four men on the ground. Yugao didn't make him wait long. Not a minute after he got into position a large bullet of earth came flying towards the men on the dock at an extreme velocity. It hit the four men head on killing them instantly.

Naruto saw his two targets stare in shock at what just happened before one of them spluttered, "What the fuck was that?"

Before the other idiot could reply Naruto opened his mouth and sub vocalized **Futon ****Daitoppa (Wind Release Great Breakthrough).** The powerful gust of wind hitboth men from behind blowing them straight off the scaffold and towards the rocks thirty meters below. The screams of the two men were cut off abruptly when they landed face first into the hard rock with a splat.

"Well…that's half the job done," said Naruto as he body flickered back down to Yūgao.

* * *

The old man's eye briefly flicked open when he head the crash. It wasn't the crash of a wave pounding against the rock, that sound was common enough down here. This was different, a foreign sound.

"Ahhhhhhhhh-"

_A scream? _He wondered.

Not uncommon here either, but this scream wasn't accompanied by the sound of flesh being beaten or cries of a woman being raped. He should now; he'd been exposed to those sounds for years now. No, this was a scream of someone taking his or her last breath.

He was envious of them. After spending years down here he just wanted to die.

* * *

"That's everyone sensei," said Naruto as he appeared in front of Yūgao who was waiting for him at the dock.

"Good. Let's start getting these cells open," Yūgao replied.

"Got it sensei," said Naruto as he walked towards the closest cell.

Most of the cells were small rectangular rooms carved into the cavern walls. They were diminutive, only capable of holding four or five people at most, though that hadn't stopped Gato from overcrowding them. The cell Naruto was standing in front housed six people; two man, two women, a teen age girl, and a young boy.

"W-who are you?" Asked one of the women.

"Naruto," he replied as he drew in Katana. The occupants of the cell moved back in fear. "Don't worry, it's your lucky day."

Naruto then channeled some wind chakra into his katana and cut through the lock of the door. The door then swung open with a creak.

"See that purple haired woman over there," said Naruto pointing at Yūgao who was waiting at the dock. "Go over to her, tell her how you ended up here and she'll get you out of here."

"Ah...I don't know what to say...Thank you," said one of the men as he stumbled out of the cell. The two women helped the children up and they made their way over to Yūgao.

Naruto quickly repeated the process with the rest of the cells in the section. He didn't have any trouble with the occupants; most were exhausted or simply ecstatic to be free. Surprisingly most were in reasonable physical health, though a few showed obvious signs of beatings and abuse.

_I suppose you can't get a good price for a half dead slaves, _thought Naruto as he watched the slaves wander over to Yūgao who was trying to organize them.

In total he had opened around a dozens cells and freed about sixty people, but he still had more to go. He hadn't freed any of the ninja yet.

With that in mind Naruto made his way over to the section which held the ninjas. These cells and cages were separate from the others, and showed signs that they constructed specifically to house ninja. Gravity seals and chakra suppressing seals were engraved to the ceilings of most of the cells, and many of the occupants were physicaly restrained by chains.

_I need to find out who made these seals_, thought Naruto as he made his way past the cells towards the two bloodline ninjas he met earlier. The occupants of the cells were looking at him inquisitively and with generally more caution than the civilians he'd just released.

_They're definitely a ninjas. _

"Will you look at that… he actually showed," said Maya between deep breaths as Naruto reached her cage. Naruto frowned as he noticed that she was in a worse state than when he left her. Her white hair was matted against her forehead, and she looked to be suffering the effects of severe dehydration.

"Did you think I was lying?" Naruto asked as he drew his Katana and channeled wind chakra into it. He noticed Maya's eyes widen when as she observed his use of chakra flow.

"Of course not Uzumaki-san, it's just Maya way of showing…her appreciation," said Sun from the cage opposite them.

"Hold on a second. This won't take long," said Naruto.

He decided to free Sun first. She was in better shape and could help carry Maya if required. Cutting through the door of the cage Naruto assisted Sun out of the cage. The woman let out a visible sigh of relief as she escaped the effects of the gravity seal.

Naruto didn't waste anytime applying his own seal, he quickly pulled out one of the ones he had prepared earlier and applied it directly to Sun's seal. As soon as he infused chakra into the seal both seals fused together before disappearing entirely. He noticed Sun tense as her muscles contracted.

_Her bodies probably reacting to the flow of chakra returning to her body, _Naruto concluded.

"It looks like it worked," said Naruto after he observed the seal disappear and Sun's reaction to it.

"What do you mean 'it looks like it worked'? Didn't you know what you were doing?" Sun asked in an incredulous tone.

Naruto just gave her a shrug, "It was a new seal. I hadn't... tested it yet."

Sun gave him a glare," You hadn't tested it yet...I should kill you for that, but I guess I can't complain, I'm free after all."

Seeing that the woman was fine and apparently not going to kill him, Naruto moved on to Maya. Entering her cage he quickly cut the chains that were holding her up. He was careful to catch her before she hit the ground; the woman was in bad shape and a concussion at this stage wouldn't help. Naruto quickly applied the seal and watched as the seal on her face disappeared and her body reacted to the presence of chakra.

"Water…I need water," Maya gasped.

Naruto quickly unsealed a canteen and gave it to her. She gulped down the water like she hadn't had a drink in days.

"Thanks, those bastards...they were keeping me dehydrated...too much salt," gasped Maya between mouthfuls of water.

"I noticed they also kept you far more restrained than anyone else here," noted Naruto.

"Of course they did, I'm a Hozuki and all Hōzukis are escape experts. One little bit of chakra and I would have been out of here," said Maya with more than a bit of pride.

_I wonder how Gato knew of the Hozuki's clan's techniques and especially the clan's main weakness. Clans don't exactly advertise the weaknesses to their secret techniques__, _thought Naruto.

"One of the Mizukage's men must have told Gato about your clans weakness, Maya," said Sun answering as if reading Naruto's mind.

"You two might want to keep quiet about your bloodlines around my teammate," warned Naruto as he nodded his head towards Yūgao.

Sun looked at him questioningly.

Seeing her look Naruto replied," Its not that I don't trust her, but as you said earlier, one of the hidden villages is probably financing this operation and it may well be my village. I don't want it known that I knowingly prevented a bloodline from coming into my village."

"You still haven't told us what village you're from," said Maya.

"Konoha," replied Naruto.

Sun and Maya both looked at bit surprised at his reply, he wasn't sure why.

"We'll keep quiet about your actions Naruto. If asked we'll tell your teammate we were restrained like the other ninjas," said Sun.

"Thank you," said a relieved Naruto, that made things a lot easier. He didn't have to worry about the Council finding out about him freeing these two.

"It the least we could do," said Sun. Naruto could tell she was sincere.

"Okay, I need to free these other ninja…I won't have any problems with them will I?" Naruto asked. He hadn't spoken to the rest of the ninja captives and he really didn't need a shinobi fight breaking out in here.

"No…and even if you did, we are all too injured or exhausted to put a much of a fight. Everyone just wants to go home…that's if they still even have a home left," replied Sun with a solemn Maya nodding her head in agreement.

With that assurance Naruto quickly moved to free the rest of the captives.

* * *

Five minutes later Naruto had arrived at the final cell. All the other cells had been opened and Yūgao was organizing the captives near the dock so they could move them out from the cave.

As Naruto reached the final cell he noticed something odd; this cell contained only one man. He was an old man, even older than the Hokage, which was saying something. The old man was sitting on the ground starring lifelessly at the wall of his cell.

_This guy doesn't look like a slave, he's too old…unless his value lies elsewhere…bloodline? No, there's no seal, plus all old ninja are unreasonable strong. Knowledge? Maybe, he might know something of value. Identity? Is he someone of significance?_

Intrigued, Naruto quickly cut the lock and opened the cell.

"You're free old man," said Naruto.

The old man didn't respond so Naruto repeated himself.

This time the old man turned his head and looked at Naruto. From the look in the man's eyes Naruto could see that he was looking at a man who had lost all hope. It was like looking into the eyes of a dead man.

"Why would I leave? Gato will just throw me back in here," said the old man.

"Gato will no longer be a problem. You should use this opportunity to escape," said Naruto as he walked over the man lifted him up by the shoulder.

The old man looked at Naruto and Naruto thought he saw a brief sparkle of life in the man's eyes. "Gato…dead…impossible," mumbled the man.

"Impossible? Hardly. One tanto to the back is all it takes to kill someone, anyone can die…from the weakest peasant to the most powerful Daimyo or shinobi.," said Naruto.

"Not Gato, he has too many men, too much money…influence. You'll never get anywhere near him," said the old man.

Naruto chuckled, "Those men of his won't even notice me…as for his money and influence…well, lets just say that they're not that relevant when someone got a tanto to your throat."

The old man finally seemed to take notice of Naruto, and in particular how Naruto was dressed.

"You're a shinobi," said the old man, his tone changing slightly.

"Yes," replied Naruto.

"So the old rat's finally bitten off more than he could chew," said the man as Naruto put him down with the others who had congregated around the dock. In total there looked to be just short of two hundred people.

Naruto made his way over to Yūgao.

"Good work Naruto, you ready?" Yugao asked

Naruto nodded his head and sub-volcalised **Taju Bunshin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique).**

Everyone's eyes bulged in amazement as suddenly hundreds of Naruto clones appeared.

Yūgao just shook her head at the outrageous display and casual use of kinjutsu. It was difficult to conceptualize just how much chakra her student had and the amazing thing she was pretty sure that that display of kinjutsu had cost him nothing. Between his amazing control and huge reserves Naruto didn't look the least bit tired.

One of Naruto's shadow clones growled as Maya poked it in the eye, "Wow, they're solid."

* * *

It had taken about an hour, but they had finally gotten all the captives out of the grotto. Naruto's shadow clones had managed to carry out the majority of civilians, while most of the shinobi were experienced and knew how to water walk. The ones who didn't were either carried out by one of Naruto's shadow clones or another shinobi.

Once free, most of the captives had gone their separate ways. Many of the civilians went directly to town, which was fine considering the town was large enough to disappear in, provided you kept your head down. Yugao suggested they break up into smaller groups so as to avoid attracting attention. Not all left immediately though, Maya, Sun and quite a few ninja stayed behind to thank Naruto and Yūgao. The old man, whose name was Kazuya also hadn't moved on just yet.

"Gato didn't just use that place to store slaves, he also used it as a prison. Anyone he wanted to disappear and for whatever reason didn't want to kill was sent there," explained Kazuya.

"Why didn't he want to kill you old man?" Asked Maya.

"Why, because I'm a trophy. You see… I used to run Wave before Gato arrived. In fact it was me who allowed him to gain a foothold on the island in the first place," said Kazuya in a forlorn tone as he remembered the biggest mistake of his life.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"I used to be mayor of the town. Back when I ran things everything was fine. Wave was doing well as a trading hub and fishing locale, but then one day a certain business man from Water Country arrived in Wave and made me an offer I couldn't refuse."

"Gato," stated Yūgao.

"Yes, Gato. At the time he was a wealthy shipping magnate. Rich, but nothing like he is now...I should have known his offer was too good to be true," said Kazuya.

"What did he offer you," asked Sun.

"What didn't he offer me? Gato had his hands in all sorts of ventures and trade agreements back in Water Country. He offered to pour huge amounts of money into Wave, and invest in the port so it could be renovated to allow larger ships access. Hell, he even offered to include Wave in various trade agreements with Water Country, apparently he had pull with the Daimyo" explained Kazuya.

"I take it that it didn't turn out like that," said Naruto.

"At first it wasn't so bad, in fact it was good. True to his word Gato invested in the port. I don't know if you've seen it, but its size is largely the result of Gato money. After a year or so I noticed things starting to change. Gato started buying up all the properties around the port and the ones he couldn't buy... well they were either mysteriously burnt down or their owners had a remarkable change of heart. I also noticed more armed men around, Gato called them his 'security force', but they were really just there to strong arm the people who wouldn't sell there homes or businesses to him. After he had bought up all the best locations he built businesses to help his trade, legitimate ones, but they undercut local prices severely. There was nothing anyone could do thanks to his security force and eventually many people would close up shop or move away."

"That's why we saw so many vacant buildings," observed Yūgao.

Kazuya nodded his head," Yes…that's why. It was about three years after Gato arrived when I started noticing the increased criminal presence and hearing stories about kidnappings. By that stage though there was nothing I could do, Gato had Wave under his thumb and it was his to shape how he wished. I don't know why he kept me around as long as he did, but a few years back he had me thrown in that prison after I confronted him about the missing people. He came down every now and then to gloat. When he killed Tazuna's kid he came down personally to rub it my face. Tazuna was one of my best friends and…."

Kazuya just trailed off as he stopped his story and looked out over the sea. It didn't take a genius to tell he was sorely affected by what had happened and felt responsible for it all.

" All right, I think we've heard enough," said Yūgao.

"True, we should get going," said Sun.

"What do you plan on doing now?" Naruto asked.

"We'll head into town and hold up in one of the vacated properties until you two finish your business. After that it shouldn't be too much trouble to get a ship to take us back to Water Country. Once again we all thank you for your assistance," said Sun as she grabbed Kazuya and helped him to his feet. "You may come with us Kazuya, we should be able to hide you until these two ninja defeat Gato."

"…Thank you," said Kazuya.

With that Sun, Maya, Kazzuya and the other ninja made there way towards town. They took Yugao's advice and did so in small groups so they wouldn't attract attention.

"Well we better keep moving Naruto. I want to see if our prisoner's information was correct," said Yugao as she warily watched the Kiri nin head into town. She had kept them at arms distance the entire time. It was prudent of her despite the fact that they were of little threat to them.

They had left Waraji tied to the same tree they had interrogated him on. Yūgao had bandaged his shoulder so he didn't bleed to death; he needed to stay alive until they could confirm the location of the drugs.

"To town then," said Naruto as he and Yūgao disappeared, one in a cloud of blood the other in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

Two hours later Naruto and Yūgao stood outside the large warehouse not too far from town. It was located in a remote clearing surrounded by trees. As Waraji instructed, Yūgao and Naruto had followed a dirt road that veered off from the main street and through the woodland area. Eventually they were greeted by a wooden warehouse that looked like it was once a farmhouse.

"So this it," said Naruto as he gazed at the structure. He was surprised that Gato only had a few men guarding it. Two mercenaries were posted at the entrance to the forest and his senses were telling him that there was a further six inside the building.

_Just like the slavery operation. He's far too comfortable here. Comfortability just breeds complacency and in this case it's going to cost him dearly," _thought Naruto.

"It better be, or I'm going to castrate that idiot," said Yūgao. It seems she was still pissed off at the 'idiot'.

"I think he was telling the truth, those two guys at the door are armed," observed Naruto.

"We need to take a closer look. Come on Naruto," said Yūgao.

Naruto and Yūgao used body flicker to move to the side of the building out of sight of the two guards. There weren't any windows for them to see inside, but they could see that the building had several skylights on the roof so they quickly made their way up there.

Once they scaled the building the two nin walked over to the skylight and looked inside.

"That's a lot of opium," said Naruto as he looked through the skylight. The warehouse floor was pilled high with paper packages that resembled bricks. Some of the packages had been opened revealing a fine white powder inside.

"That's looks like opium to me," observed Yūgao.

There_ must be millions of ryo worth of drugs in this one warehouse alone, _thought Naruto as he tried to estimate how much of the substance was in the warehouse.

Naruto thought it was pretty naive of Gato to store it in the one place, assuming of course that this was the only storage area. Given the sheer amount of drugs present that seemed a likely fact.

_Definitely complacent. Gato believes he's untouchable, and he's probably right, at least in regard to the people of Wave. He's got them so scared none would even lift a finger against him, _thought Naruto as he remembered the old man Kazuya. If Naruto and Yugao took Gato out, no one would.

Having confirmed the presence of opium the two ninja body flickered back down to the clearing.

"I think we should burn it," said Naruto as he and Yugao landed on the ground about twenty meters to the side of the building.

"So do I Naruto, so do I."

They didn't waste any time. Yūgao made the hand seals for **Katon: Endan (Fire Release: Flame Bullet)** and blew a large bullet of red hot fire directly at the warehouse.

Naruto smiled as he noticed that Yūgao didn't scream the name of the jutsu.

_Looks like she learning from me as well._

Naruto didn't need Yūgao's instruction to know what to do. As soon as the fireball left Yūgao's mouth Naruto followed it up with a justu of his own. He sub vocalized, "**Futon: ****Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)," **releasing a powerful gust of wind from his mouth.

The large gust of wind fed oxygen into the fire making the bullet triple in size, which allowed it to engulf the entire warehouse. The flame incinerated the two men guarding the door and likely everyone inside.

As the two ninja watched the warehouse burn Naruto said,"I would love to see Gato's face when he finds out about this. I wonder how much ryo we've cost Gato in the last twenty four hours."

Yūgao chuckled, "A lot…but Naruto this makes our secondary mission even more important-"

"Ah…the bridge builder."

"Correct, now that we've decimated his illegal operations Gato's entire enterprise is at risk. He's suddenly become even more reliant on the port and Tazuna's bridge has suddenly become an even greater threat to him," explained Yūgao.

"Are we going to take out Gato now?" Naruto asked.

Yūgao took a moment to think before replying, "No. Tazuna's the priority now. By Kakashi's estimation Zabuza should be close to full health by now. I don't want Team 7 and the bridge builder dying why we're off assassinating Gato. He can wait till after we deal with Zabuza."

"I see, so we'll be keeping a closer eye on Team 7 now," noted Naruto while wondering what Team 7 was up to. _No much I bet._

Naruto wasn't so sure Yūgao was choosing the right course of action, but he didn't question her on it. She was right about Zabuza being the more immediate threat. However, Gato was cornered and that's when people are their most dangerous. Nevertheless he didn't mind; he had his own plans for Gato anyway and this would mean that he would get a window to execute those plans.

"Okay, shall we head back then?" Naruto asked.

"Yes Naruto. We'll have a rest then we can start keeping a closer eye on Team 7," said Yūgao.

As they were walking back to town Naruto remembered Wararji. "What are we going to do with our captive?"

"We'll… we can't throw him prison just yet since Gato runs this place so…we either leave him as he is or dispose of him. He's your captive Naruto, what do you think?"

"Dispose of him. After all I've heard and seen today I won't lose any sleep over it." _Not that I would have anyway. _"Besides just letting him live is reckless, it's just asking for trouble. Who knows what he would do if we just left him here, he's got an agenda against us now and if we just left him alone he'd probably contrive some ill advised revenge attempt against us or Wave."

"All right. Are you going to take care of it?" Yūgao asked.

"Sure I'll do it when we get back," said Naruto as the two headed back to camp.

* * *

While Naruto and Yūgao were systematically destroying Gato's black market trade assets, Akeginu was looking up at odd structure built around a tree. The building was oddly shaped. It had a small base with a large cone shaped roof and a spiral staircase provided the only means of access to and from the compound.

_So this is where Zabuza and his little helper are hiding_, thought Akeginu as she gazed at the building.

She had spent all morning looking for a clue as to where the two ninjas were hiding. Eventually she had decided to go to the target - Team7. The best way to hunt a predator is to stake out its prey. Once she arrived where Team 7 and the bridge builder were it hadn't taken her long to spot one of her targets. A masked ninja, who from what Naruto had told her was Zabuza's associate, was watching the house where they were staying. The ninja had hidden himself well, but not well enough to escape her observant eyes. It helped that she could move around with fear of detection. She had followed the masked nin back this hideout.

As Akeginu made her way inside she spotted two people in discussion. One of the figures was a tall masked man with no eyebrows and with a giant sword strapped to his back. He was shirtless except for some sleeves, which had an odd camouflage design on them. _Cow skin camouflage…I don't get it. _He was also wearing casual stripped pants and sandals. _This must be Zabuza, _thought Akeginu as she noted his Zanbato and headband which had four wavy lines with straight line engraved through them.

The other figure was the ninja she had followed. The ninja had removed his mask to reveal the face of an effeminate looking teenage male. He had long black hair, dark brown eyes and very pale skin. He was wearing a teal colored haori over a pinstripe outfit. The outfit was held together by a large brown sash.

"What the hells going on out there Haku? I could see that fire from here," said Zabuza.

_Fire? I wonder if that's Naruto's doing._

"Somebody's attacking Gato Zabuza-sama. From what I've be able to discover it started last night and hasn't stopped since," replied the nin named Haku.

"The Leaf nins?" Zabuza asked.

Haku shook his head, "No, I've be keeping an eye on them, they've been watching the bridge builder and doing some training."

"Ha, training, like that'll help them," commented Zabuza with disdain.

_It seems he shares my low opinion of Team 7._

"I asked around town. Apparently someone destroyed Gato's brothel last night as well," said Haku.

"Tch, it looks like someone moving in on Gato. That scumbag's usefulness is just about up, as soon as we kill that bridge builder and get paid we're out of here. "

"Zabuza-sama?"

"Get ready Haku, tomorrow morning we attack…we'll ambush them at the bridge like we planned. I want to get out of Wave before that piece of trash drags us into whatever mess he's gotten himself into ," said Zabuza.

"But Zabuza-sama, you're still not fully healed," protested Haki.

"Enough! I'm fine. With you taking care of the brats I can deal with Kakashi, that ink kid won't interfere this time. My mist will prevent Kakashi from relying on his Sharingan and without that he has no chance against me. Got it."

_Ink kid? _Wondered Akeginu.

"Yes, Zabuza-sama."

Akeginu smirked as she watched the exchange. Its seemed tomorrow Naruto would get his chance to match himself against an A rank ninga.

* * *

Back at camp Naruto was in discussion with his new friend Kiriko. He'd given her some writing material to help facilitate discussion and Naruto was pleased to discover that she was a very intelligent woman.

"So you know economics?"

Kiriko nodded her head as she quickly scribbled something down on the pad of paper Naruto had given her. She held up the paper to Naruto who read it;

_My father was a merchant. He was quite wealthy and sent all his children to school. I did very well at school, but my father was old fashioned and didn't want a woman running the family business. Instead he let my younger brother do that and married me off to a noble from a minor house._

"If you don't mind me asking…how did you end up here in Wave?" Naruto asked.

Kiriko hesitated, but only briefly before writing her response.

_I was married for about four years when I found out my husband had fallen into debt to the Mishima Shipping Corporation; they're a subsidiary of the Gato Company. When the loan sharks came to collect I caught their eyes and my husband had the brilliant idea of selling me to them. _

"He sold you to them?"

Kiriko nodded her head. _Me in exchange for the debt he owed._

"What about your family? Did they find out? Try to help?"

Kiriko just shrugged her shoulders, she had no idea if they even knew she was missing.

Naruto was about to ask her if she planed on staying in Wave when he saw Akeginu appear at the boundary of the camp. "Excuse me, I need to take care of something," he said to Kiriko whose eyes tracked him with a longing look as he left the camp.

"So what did you discover?" Naruto asked Akeginu.

"They're going to attack tomorrow morning," replied Akeginu.

"Where?" Naruto asked. If he knew the location before hand he could lay an ambush.

"The bridge," replied Akeginu.

"Good, I can work with that," said Naruto.

"What about Gato? He's planning on screwing Zabuza over, do you want to use that?" Akeginu asked.

Naruto considered it for a moment, but decided against it, "Gato's too unpredictable to rely on and I can't go up to Zabuza and say 'Gato plans on screwing you', I'd just get a sword shoved in my face. Also, Gato's men aren't exactly reliable," said Naruto thinking about Waraji and some of the idiots he had killed recently. He had absolutely no confidence in their ability to take down someone like Zabuza. "Gato's presence will only complicate things, so I think I'll remove him from the equation entirely."

Akeginu smiled at him, "So I take it you'll be paying Gato a visit tonight."

Naruto nodded his head, "But first…"

Naruto walked over to Waraji who was still tied to the tree. He appeared to be a sleep so Naruto slapped him harshly across the face.

"Owe...W-what?" Asked Waraji in confusion.

"Tell me, does Gato have a safe... somewhere where he keeps his documents?" Naruto asked.

"Fuck you kid, that bitch isn't here this time. I'm not saying shit," replied Waraji.

Naruto just raised an eyebrow at the man's sudden show of bravado, "Is that your final answer?"

"Ha, I knew it. Kid's got no-"

Waraji's didn't get to finish his sentence as Naruto's katana removed his head from his body.

"I guess I'll just have to ask Gato himself."

Naruto picked up Waraji's head and turned to Akeginu.

"I'll see you at Gato's mansion," said Naruto before disappearing in a cloud of blood.

Akeginu frowned, "Baka, I don't know that technique," she said before disappearing to catch up to Naruto.

* * *

Naruto arrived a few hundred meters in front of Gato's mansion.

_Akeginu was right, this place is over the top._

Since his time was limited Naruto immediately got on with things and henged into a passable impression of Waraji.

_This should do,_ thought Naruto as he checked his henge. None of Gato's men would be able to see through this unless he had to talk.

Satisfied with his disguise Naruto entered the mansion.

* * *

"Fuck!" Gato yelled as he threw a very expensive vase at the wall. "What the hell is going on out there?"

Zori who was standing of to the side did the smart thing and stayed quiet. He didn't want to draw his master's ire any further. Zori just reported that the women from the brothel were missing, and just now Gato had been informed that, not only did their entire opium supply just go up in flames, but all Gato's slaves were missing. To make matters worse Waraji had all but disappeared.

"Waraji better be dead, if he dares show his face around here he'll be joining my new brothel as a whore," cursed Gato.

On the outside Gato was pissed, but on the inside he was scared. He couldn't afford to lose the slaves, especially those two bloodline ninjas. If he didn't find them soon he was a dead man, someone very dangerous had spent a lot of resources acquiring them and if Gato didn't deliver he would end up paying the price.

"Zori, forget Zabuza. Find out where those slaves went. If they're lost we're screwed," ordered Gato. As much as he wanted to off that peice of shit Zabuza and his cocky kid, he now had bigger problems.

Zori was prevented from responding by the door opening and the entrance of the missing Waraji who appeared to be holding a sack containing something.

"Waraji…where the hell have you been?!" Gato yelled.

Waraji responded by throwing a sack he had been holding on Gato's desk.

"What this?" Gato wondered as he opened the sack.

"Fuck!" Gato yelled before jumping back in shock as Waraji's head came tumbling out of the sack and onto Gat's desk.

"What the hell?" Zori yelled as he took a few steps backwards.

They heard a chuckle and looked up in confusion at Waraji whose form wavered and changed into a much smaller person. This new figure was dressed in black and wore a hood covering his face. Zori unconsciously shivered, the figure looked like he was literally cloaked in shadows.

"Gato I presume. I hope you enjoyed my present," said the figure in an extremely cold but slightly amused tone. "We need to talk."

* * *

Naruto watched in amusement as Gato expression alternated between terror and confusion before finally settling on anger as his pride took over.

"Who the hell do you think you are? You can't just come barging in here and expect to get away with it . I'm Gato of the Gato Company. Zori show this idiot what we do to people who don't respect me" ordered Gato.

Did_ he forget that I just dumped a head on his desk?_

Naruto smiled as the man wearing makeup and a beanie charged at him. Makeup Guy didn't get very far as Naruto used Kamataichi to create a vacuum directly in front of the man's head. The result wasn't pretty and left a nasty stain on the carpet.

Naruto walked slowly towards Gato, stepping around the headless body of Makeup Guy, who was apparently named Zori. As he moved forward he asked Gato, "Did you really think it would be that easy to get rid of me?"

Gato backed away from his desk in fear, "Guards! Guards!"

"Don't bother calling for help, all your men are…indisposed," said Naruto with a grin.

"What do you want? I can pay you anything" Asked Gato, his previous anger and pride had vanished as soon as Zori had died.

"Really? Because I heard you're a very cheap man...I mean weren't you going to kill Zabuza after he finished off Tazuna?"

"H-how do know that?"

"If was standing next to you when you gave the order," replied Naruto. He was talking shit, but Gato didn't know that and Naruto knew that his information is accurate.

Naruto stopped walking and stood in front of Gato, "So why don't you have a seat. As I said, we need to talk"

At those words Gato seemed to regain his anger and responded by yelling something intelligible and throwing a to punch at Naruto. Naruto refrained from rolling his eyes as he easily blocked the weak attack and countered by hitting Gato in the face with his elbow. The crunch and the subsequent scream from Gato let Naruto know he had just broken the tyrant's nose.

"Sit down," said Naruto a little more forcefully as he threw Gato into the seat. "You asked me 'what do I want?' Well…let's start with your company. I want your company...Tell me where do you keep your money, deeds, contracts…"

"You must be crazy if you think I'm going to jut hand over all my assets," said Gato defiantly. The effect of the words was probably lessened by the fact that he was holding his broken nose in obvious pain. So Naruto just shrugged and drew his katana.

_Everyone always has to do things the hard way._

"Again with the shoulder stab, can't you show me something new?" Akeginu asked as she appeared beside him.

"You know most girls want to be taken out to a nice restaurant or see a movie, not shown their date's latest torture technique," said Naruto.

Akeginu put on her 'sultry face' as she said, "Well I'm not most women...and does that mean this is a date?"

"That face doesn't work on me anymore," said Naruto neatly side stepping the 'date' question.

Unfortunately he stepped right into a deeper hole as Akeginu looked at him suspiciously, "What have you been up to?"

"What do you mean?"

"You used to blush when I made that face now you don't. What have you been doing?" Akeginu asked, her tone growing colder with each word that escaped her mouth.

_Shit. _

Naruto mind briefly flashed to a naked image of a certain kitsune, but he quickly got back on track, "Nothing, I've just learnt my lessons well."

Akeginu looked like she didn't believe a word he said so Naruto tried to change topics...again.

"No katana then," said Naruto as he sheathed his katana and turned back to Gato who was looking at him like he was crazy.

"Shit...you're crazy. Who the hell are you talking to?!"Yelled Gato. Panic was starting to set in.

"Don't worry about it, you'll be dead soon," said Naruto with a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure he finds that reassuring," said Akeginu with a laugh, seemingly no longer pissed at him.

_Yes, distraction successful. _

"_**Will you two stop flirting already, hury up and get to the torture ," interrupted an annoyed Kurama.**_

…_Jealous_

"_**You wish."**_

"Watch this," said Naruto to Akeginu.

Akeginu stood there wondering why nothing was happening. If she had been tangible or back at the ruins she would have noticed the smell of vinegar in the air.

"Nothi-"

Akeginu was cutt off by Gato as he started screaming in pain.

"What did you do to him?" Akeginu asked as she observed Gato's back arching while he screamed.

"**Genjutsu: Neural Shock**," replied Naruto.

"What's it do?"

"Its an illusion that fools the brain into thinking every nerve in the body is in pain. He must feel like all his muscles are cramping at once or like lightning's just passed through his body. I based it off some medical conditions I'd read about in some medical journals and some poisons," explained Naruto.

"I like it. Interrogators would kill to get their hands on this. Does it do any permanent damage?" Akeginu asked. She was keen to discuss the practicalities of Naruto's new jutsu and didn't mind the screaming victim.

"Don't know…I probably should investigate that at some point," said Naruto before canceling the genjutsu.

Gato's screaming was quickly replaced by laboured breathing and some whimpering.

"So...Are you ready to talk?" Naruto asked.

"Yes…just don't...don't ever do that again," said Gato.

"Tell me what I want to know and it won't be an issue. Now answer my question," ordered Naruto.

"It's over there…behind the bookshelves…pull out the book…third from the right, fourth shelf," said Gato.

Naruto did as Gato instructed and smiled as the shelf slid to the side to reveal a walk in safe.

"Expensive," commented Akeginu.

"What's the combination?"

"12-23-45-67-98-50-32-5," replied Gato.

Naruto entered the combination and was pleased to see the door to the safe click and swing open.

"Wow, that's a lot of money," said Akeginu as they saw what the safe contained.

On the right side of the safe was a large pile of money stacked almost to the same height as Naruto. In the center of the room was a pie of gold bricks and on the left were a number of filing cabinets.

Satisfied with what was in the safe Naruto turned back to Gato. "Now that we've taken care of that we should talk about those bloodline users."

"You!...It was you," said Gato while pointing at Naruto.

Naruto just rolled his eyes, "Who did you think it was? Uchiha Madara."

Naruto could have sworn he heard growling when he said the name.

"Not some punk kid that's for sure," muttered Gato before he went back to whimpering in pain.

Naruto ignored the comment. "So tell me, who bought the bloodline users and who placed those seals on them."

Gato's eyes widened in panic when Naruto asked that question, "No I can't he'll have me killed-"

Naruto interrupted Gato by grabbing his throat, "I'll kill you now if you don't start talking."

Naruto's threat was made all the more real by the kunai positioned precariously close to Gato's eye.

"Shimura…Shimura Danzo,"**(4)** said Gato giving in to the more immediate threat to his life.

"Shinobi no Yami, why am I not surprised," muttered Naruto. Danzo's politics were well known and hardly a secret, though Naruto mostly knew him because he was a prominent Konoha shinobi during the first two Shinobi World Wars and had read about him in history books. Naruto didn't have much of an idea of what the man was up to these days though.

_I'll have to investigate when I get back to Konoha._

"Scared of Danzo are you?" Naruto asked. In truth he was surprised that Gato was scared, he'd figure the man would be too arrogant to think Danzo could get to him. Everything he had seen today suggested the man thought he was completley safe.

_He must have had some run in with Danzo before, or maybe I just don't know enough about Danzo, _Naruto concluded.

The question seemed to rile Gato up, or bring up some bad memories as Gato snapped. "Listen here you little shit, I don't care who you work for once you leave here I'm going to have every mercenary and missing nin in the elemental nations hunt you down and bring you to me. Then we'll see wh-"

Gato tirade was cut off by Naruto's katana slicing through his neck.

"It seems he wasn't listening to me earlier when I said he was going to die," commented Naruto as he picked up Gato's head and sealed it away.

_He truly didn't think I was going to kill him,_ observed Naruto.

"I've noticed you seem to like interrupting people by decapitation," commented Akeginu.

"I haven't decapitated that many people," Naruto rebutted. He wasn't some executioner.

"That was the second time you've done it today."

Instead of getting drawn into the pointless argument any further Naruto turned his attention to the safe and its contents. He quickly made three shadow clones and had them start sealing away everything inside.

While they were doing that Naruto made his way over to one of the filing cabinets and removed some documents. Naruto looked at the documents and smiled, he recognized one of the names on the contract, "Ryoma Daichi."

"You know him?" Akeginu asked.

"I recognize the name…he's a member of the Civilian Council."

"So he's the one buying those bloodline ninja for this Danzo character?"

"Doubtful, as I recall he's only a restaurant owner. He's rich, but not rich enough to afford two bloodline users."

"Just a front man then," concluded Akeginu.

Naruto nodded his head in agreement. This Ryoma was just a fall guy, the people responsible for buying the two bloodline users and the seals weren't stupid enough to put there names down on paper. Honestly he was surprised Gato even knew Danzo's name, you'd think Danzo would go to more trouble to remain in the shadows. **(5)**

_Gato is a big fish though...  
_

Naruto leafed through the rest of the documents. There were a lot of names he didn't recognize, likely people form Water Country. He pocked the documents, they would be valuable to someone and he would need to go through them all later some time.

While his clones were busy looting the safe Naruto thought about his next move, namely how to get away with killing Gato without drawing Yūgao's suspicion. **(6)**

"What do you think my next move should be? " Naruto asked Akeginu.

"Why don't you make one of those henges of yours," suggested Akeginu. She seemed pleased he was asking for her advice.

"Hmm, that could work," said Naruto as he quickly made a shadow clone and had it henge into Gato.

"There you go," said Akeginu.

Naruto produced another shadow clone next to his Gato henge and had it henge into Waraji._  
_

"All right you two, go round up all of Gato's mercenaries and bring them to the clearing near the bridge construction site," instructed Naruto.

"How do we find Gato's men?" Asked the Waraji clone.

"You're an idiot, ask someone. I really doubt Gato does all the leg work himself. Get one of his men to round up the mercenaries."

"Got it boss…ah…what time?" Asked the Gato clone.

"Ill send a shadow clone to tell you, it'll be tomorrow morning" said Naruto.

Both of Naruto's clones saluted him before leaving the office to carry out their dutues.

"I'll say it again, you're clones are idiots. I think they actually took on that idiot façade you invented," said Akeginu.

"I think you may be right," mumbled Naruto.

"So, ambush?"

Naruto nodded his head, "Ambush. I don't really want to leave a substantial mercenary force without money just sitting around, that's a recipe for disaster."

Before he exited the office Naruto spotted a cigar that Gato must have been smoking lying on the desk. With a flick of his finger he sent the cigar tumbling onto the carpet.

"Hopefully that will cover up our presence here and the missing assets," said Naruto as he watched the carpet start to catch fire.

"It'll also get rid of all the bodies I had to step over on the way here," commented Akeginu as they left the office.

* * *

As Naruto was exiting the house he caught sight of an odd mouse near the doorway. It immediately drew his suspicion.

_What an odd looking creature._

He noticed that Akeginu had noticed it as well. He walked straight past it and looked away from the strange creature so it couldn't see his face. The mouse looked to be made from a strange black substance meaning that it was likely a summons or ninjutsu construct of some kind.

The creature fled as soon as it noticed Naruto. It was heading off towards the forest.

"Follow it. I want to find out who's spying, and if it's me or Gato they're spying on," Naruto whispered to Akeginu.

As Akeginu left in pursuit of the strange mouse Naruto shunshined back near camp, he had some explosive notes too make and ambushes to plan.

_Tomorrow's going to be interesting._

* * *

**Foot Notes**

_**(1) I'm pretty sure that there's no generic counter seal (can't see how one would work) and one needs to be tailored for the various different seal. Eg. Five elements seal = Five elements unseal.**_

_**(2) According to Japanese mythology the Kitsune and Tanuki do not get along.**_

_**(3)I wanted to give some insight into Kurama thinking without giving too much away (not easy to do). At the moment Kurama/ Naruto have a slightly antagonistic relationship. Naruto doesn't trust her (with good cause) and she doesn't care that much about him beyond seeing him as a means of affecting her plans. It will change as the story progresses, remember their relationship is only in the initial stages of its existence, they'll get along a lot better once their goals align.**_

_**(4) Danzo will be one of the main antagonist in my **_**_fix. In canon he was mainly used to make Sasuke look cool and we didn't really get to find out what he was really up to (He complied sharingan, had the mokuton, so he was obviously looking to control the Kyuubi at some point in the future. We also no he had dealings with Obito but to date none of these things have been investigated or revealed.) I plan on actually using him to his potential as a bad guy (and he's one of the better villains in Naruto since he's a nice shade of gray, not just an 'I'm evil and want to kill everyone' type of bad guy), and Wave is the first interaction Naruto has with the man and will act as a springboard for further conflict down the line._**

**_(5) You'd think so, but canon suggests that Danzo isn't the most subtle of operators (got his hands i too many pies i think) - ROOT's like the worst kept secret in Konoha._**

**_(6) SOme of you will have noticed that I've intentionally refrained from writing from Yugao's perspective too much. Her views and observations will be revealed in a subsequent report to the Hokage. _**

* * *

_**Author's Note**_

_**After much thought I decided to have Naruto go ahead and fight Zabuza. In Basilisk it is made clear that the ninja love fighting and using their skills (except for a few notable exceptions), its one of the reasons they were so enthusiastic about the **_**_competition. Naruto's inherited some of that enthusiasm from Akegenu and anyway he needs the experience, it was the main reason he decided to stay in Konoha after all. _**

**_Also, I've noticed a lot of fics where Naruto and Zabuza end as BF or Zabuza comes back to Konoha with them and I don't really buy it (it more possible where Naruto's already a missing _****_nin). Naruto's options are pretty limited, he could show Zabuza Gato's head but that would mean exposing himself to Yugao or if he did it by himself, to Zabzua (risky) . Zabuza may very well be pissed that Naruto took his pay day and attack him. Evidence also suggests that the 7 swordsmen like fighting and challenges and would attack Kakashi anyway just for the rematch. In any case I will be taking a closer look at Zabuza next chapter._**

_**Good news, next chapter will be the final Wave chapter. I ended up covering more material than I estimated over the last two chapters so I should be able to handle the showdown and the aftermath in the next chapter. Basically i made Wave long so I could set up plot lines for future material (namely Kiri and Danzo). Wave wasn't really used in canon so it was ideal for adding new material. **_

_**Tune in next chapter to see Naruto v Zabuza and find out what happens to the OCs and what Naruto does with his new resources. **_


	13. Chapter 13 - The True Demon of the Mist

_**Chapter 13: Nami no Kami Conclusion - The True Demon of the Mist**_

_**Hey people Tibo's back.**_

_**I reached 500 reviews last chapter so I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed so far. **_

_**So here's the moment everyone's been waiting for, the stealth-killing showdown: Zabuza v Naruto. I hope you enjoy it; it took me ages to get right. It's also by far my longest chapter yet (my longest yet - 20,000+), so enjoy.**_

_**IMPORTANT: I updated Chapter 1, adding about 4000 words of extra content. Mostly aesthetic changes that have no bearing on the plot: I fixed up some incosnistencies, changed the writing style to bring it in line with the rest of the fic (Orginally I changed to writing from multiple perspectives in chapter 2). I also added an intro dream sequence linking Naruto directly with Oboro (last possessor of the mystic eyes) and inferred invention from Oboro in bringing Naruto and Akeginu together. Check it out and tell me what you think.**_

_**IMPORTANT: A change in terminology. Iaido is now referred to as Battojutsu or Iajutsu. It was pointed out to me that Iaido wasn't used as a term until the 1900's. I did some research and the art of drawing the blade would have been broadly referred to as Battojutsu or Iajutsu in Akeginu's time. CREDIT to **_**Forget Logic. Punch Stuff**_** for pointing it out. **_

_**Note that the technique will still be referred to as Iaido when written from the perspective of people form Naruto's world (other than Naruto) since the technique is called Iaido in Naruto's world eg. Mifune. Only Naruto and Basilisk characters will use the term Battojutsu. It's nothing major but it makes the fic a bit more accurate/detailed. **_

_**In response to some reviews:**_

_**Cold Blue: **Some of your questions will be answered this chapter. As to the ones about Hoatru Bi, simply put, I haven't made a decision yet since its way off (those new skills will be post resurrection). I have some reservations about Bojutsu since it doesn't really suit her (plus she already uses knife's and her creature controlling abilities for close quarters combat)._

_Naruto will teach Yūgao Battojutsu starting next chapter (I changed it – Iaido was the incorrect term for the style, I've made the amendments were necessary you'll notice if you reread some of the earlier chapters)._

_Danzo won't be a 'main' antagonist just one that's more relevant to Naruto (i.e not just a plot device to make Sasuke look cool). He won't be any stronger than in canon, but he does have political power and an entire black ops organisation at his command (one that seemed to disappear when needed in canon)._

_In regards to fixing chapters, I'll just do it as I progress. None of the changes will as extensive as chapter 1 (if they are I'll let you and the readers know via my profile). It'll mostly be just polishing up some typos and tightening the dialogue up in places. I'm probably add another dream when I start to introduce other Basilisk characters._

_**Invinoveri: **__I don't really intend to bash anyone in this fic. The only Leaf ninja I've portrayed in any detail so far is Yūgao and she's been extremely competent. Remember, I write from character perspectives not an objective authorial one. So the parts I think you refer to as bashing are the opinions possessed by Naruto and Akeginu (unless you consider their negative opinions 'bashing'). I'll try and keep my portrayals of characters in line with canon except where it diverges from mine due to Naruto's difference (i.e. him not in team 7 is not a good thing in terms of the others development . In saying all that Naruto doesn't have a high opinion of most his fellow graduates (understandably so, when you compare them to him, but expect him to be critical especially of people like Sakura and Inu when he sees them) and Akeginu has issues is with how the 'ninja' of Naruto approach combat (mainly satirisation of 'shounen fighting' in generally) and the fact that they refer to themselves as ninja when they're in fact more like regulation soldiers. My portrayal of most of the leaf nin (i.e. jonin) will be similar to Yugao (i.e. competent). Though kakashi gets a bit of a serve from Naruto in this chapter._

_**D****ethklok91: **You should look up the definition of Yokai, it certainly does NOT mean demon. As I've pointed out in previous chapters I'm using Japanese mythology in my portrayal of Kurama and in Japanese mythology Yōkai is a broad term that refers to supernatural creatures, one of which is the Kitsune. The closest thing to a demon in Japanese mythology is an Oni and Kurama certainly isn't one of them._

_** 55: **They will eventually end up as allies (but not without some hurdles), though it won't be as stupid as in canon where the Bijus just end up like giant pokemon (ugh… fist pumping really?)_

_**Ribellion: **I will write from Danzo's perspective next chapter, so you will get idea of what he knows and doesn't know then. Yes, Sai is reporting to Danzo._

**_darkowl1989:_ **_Mei, Akeginu and Kagerou will be largely politicly motivated (Akeginu because she's Iga, Kagerou because she's Kouga and Mei from Kiri). People like Koyuki and Temari are also options. No Hinata mainly because Naruto will be severing her ties with Konoha in the future._

* * *

**[Standard disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Basilisk]**

_Zabuza''s eyes widened in surprise as a metal staff appeared out of nowhere and perfectly parried his strike. _

"_Damn it."_

_His tanto had bounced right off the surface of the staff without making a scratch. Worse still, his target was completely unharmed by his surprise attack. _

"_Not a bad attempt Zabuza-san, but did you honestly think that a knife to the back was enough to defeat a K__age__," said Yagura. With a flick of his wrist he spun his staff back around and held is causally by his side. _

_Like always the monster had kept his tone calm and moderate. You couldn't tell whether he was angry, upset or amused. Hell, for all Zabuza knew he probably used the same tone at dinner parties. It was infuriating. _

_With a growl Zabuza swung __Kubikiribōchō at__ Yagura's neck __coming__ within inches of killing the monster, but the Mizukage was prepared._

"_**Suiton: Mizukagami no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Mirror Technique)."**_

_And just like that, Kubikirbocho's rapid descent was stopped completely by the disc shaped mirror of water that had manifested between Zabuza and his target. As the shield repelled him Zabuza could see his visage reflected perfectly in the water's surface. He expected this though; the Mizukage was unmatched when it came to Suiton Ninjutsu._

"_I think I'll return the favour," mocked Yagura as he swung his staff and flipped the mirror of water horizontal on its axis. Much to Zabuza's surprise he found himself fending off his own attack as Kubikiribōchō came within inches of taking his head off._

_With a snarl he spun and brought Kubikiribōchō around dispersing the reflection with a horizontal swing of his sword._

_Zabuza darted backwards, and quickly opened up some space between himself and Yagura in case the Mizukage had a follow up attack ready. He didn't. Instead the Mizukage just watched him intently, almost like he was curious to see what type of attack Zabuza would try next. _

_The bastard was looking down on him. That would change soon._

"_**Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu (Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique)."**_

_Yagura's eyes widened in surprise as a giant spiralling blast of water rose up from the ground and hit him head on with the force of a tidal wave. _

"_Take that you bastard."_

_Zabuza had just used the most powerful ninjutsu in his possession. The fallout was devastating. The large room looked like it had just hit with a cyclone. Volumes of water covered the floor, windows were broken and the lights in the ceiling were flickering on and off. _

_Zabuza wasn't interested in redecorating though; he needed to see if his attack had finished Yagura off._

"_Impressive, but still not good enough."_

_There, standing where Yagura's child like body had just been was a creature from nightmare. It was encased in dark armour that looked like it had been crafted from the coral itself. The unsightly bulbs and uneven ridges along the armour gave it an inhuman appearance. Most notably two tails protruded from the figures back. It looked like a monster summoned from the great abyss of the ocean. The aura of menace emanating from the figure was practically palpable. _

_Zabuza let out a curse. He hadn't intended for the fight to get this far, the chances of winning against Yagura's tailed form were practically zero. _

"_**Sangoshō."**_

_Zabuza felt the blow before he saw it. Yagura had moved faster than his eyes could see. He felt the blow shatter his sternum. The heavily armored fist literally left a dint in his chest as it caved in his left lung. The blow had so much power behind it that it sent Zabuza flying through the wall and tumbling to the ground of the next room._

_As Zabuza struggled to rise he noticed lumps of coral growing on his chest and rapidly starting to spread across his upper body._

"_Tch…Damn it."_

_He didn't know exactly what the attack did, but the coral was rapidly restricting his ability to move. Not that the shattered sternum hadn't already left him completely at Yagura's mercy._

"_Hmm, you can still move…surprising," commented Yagura as he stepped through the hole in the wall._

_It was unnerving seeing the creature before him speaking so calmly, but Yagura was infamous for his complete subjugation of the Sanbi. _

"_You would do well to surrender Zabuza-san. Your coup has failed, your followers lie dead in the streets and you yourself lie broken at my feet. Surrender. I could still have use for tool like you."_

"_I'd rather die with some dignity," said Zabuza as he raised __Kubikiribōchō for one last stand._

_Yagura took a long look at Zabuza before nodding his head._

"_Then so be it," said Yagura as he his tale swatted Zabuza straight through the wall and into the depths below._

* * *

Zabuza woke with a start.

"Damn it."

With a grunt he sat up and rubbed the sweat off his face.

_That_ _dream __again... Why did I have to have that dream now of all times?_

The memory of his greatest failure was not something he wanted swirling around in his head as he went to battle. It was a bad omen no matter how you looked at it.

He had barely survived that fight with Yagura, and his subsequent escape from Kiri Hunter nin had left him a mess. If it weren't for Haku, Gozu and Meizu he never would have made it out of Kiri alive. Even then, it had taken him months to heal, and by that time any remnants of his little rebellion had been well and truly crushed by Yagura. The man was good at that, destroying things came naturally to him. The only tools he had left were the one's he had with him; Haku, Gozu and Meizu. He had been forced to start over from scratch.

Hence his presence in this shithole.

He hadn't made the decision to turn traitor lightly. Even now, living as a missing nin he didn't regret trying to kill that monster. What he did regret was not being more prepared. He had been too arrogant, too confident, and too impatient. Not that he had underestimated Yagura. He had fought alongside the man and no one become a Kage without real ability, especially not in Kiri. He had, however, overestimated where he ranked in the ninja world.

Yagura had shown him the reality of the situation. Shown him in no uncertain terms how truly outclassed he was. The difference in power between and A rank and S rank nin was huge. In hindsight he should have known better, he had trained and fought alongside monsters like Hoshigaki Kisame and Hozuki Mangetsu.

Zabuza was by no means weak. In fact after Kisame had left Kiri, Zabuza was arguably the strongest ninja under the Mizukage's command. It was that fact which led Zabuza to believe that he could take Yagura down.

Kiri had always been a hard place to live, particularly for a shinobi. Kiri's history was one of blood, pain and suffering. In Kiri they followed the old way, and the belief that through conflict the strong would rise and the weak would perish. That philosophy had served Kiri well, or at least it used to.

The Kaguya clan's attack on Kiri had been the spark, the opening act for the bloodiest chapter in Kiri's history.

_Those fuckers were always crazy._

Yagura took things to a whole new level with his bloodline purge. Zabuza was a hard man; he had killed his entire graduating class, yet genocide was something even he found hard to stomach. He watched as Yagura turned Kiri from the strongest shinobi village in the Elemental Nations to one that would struggle to compete with Suna. It was clear that the man had outlived his usefulness, he was no longer an asset to Kiri. Yagura was a madman who needed to be put down; it was as simple as that.

With a groan Zabuza stopped thinking of the past and brought his mind to bear on his present problems, namely Sharingan no Kakashi. He winced as he started to stretch. He was still stiff. Taking a hit from Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu (Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique) head on wasn't something you could just walk away from. He had definitely underestimated the power of the sharingan and had paid the price. He would not make the same mistake twice. The Sharingan had one main weakness though. He would render Kakashi useless with the mist and leave Haku to ensure that no one interfered this time.

_We'll see how well you fight without your precious sharingan Kakashi._

"Zabuza-san, you're awake."

Zabuza turned to see Haku entering his room.

He grunted in response and asked, "Are you ready Haku?"

"Yes Zabuza-san."

"Then let's not waste any time, I want this job done today so we can get out of Wave. I've got a bad feeling about something."

Zabuza intuition was pretty sharp. Something was obviously happening in Wave and he wanted no part in it. He could just imagine Gato pulling him into some shit fight with a drug cartel. At this stage his plans couldn't afford that kind of set back.

_I will not be distracted from my path, _Zabuza thought to himself.

"Zabuza-san…"

"Gato's a scumbag. I don't trust him, so once we get our money we're out of here," said Zabuza.

_I wouldn't put it past the greedy fuck to try and screw us over either especially after that shit he pulled earlier. _

"Yes Zabuza-san. Zabuza-san…" Haku trailed off, but it was clear the boy wanted to ask him a question

"Speak."

"Where are we going next?" Haku asked.

"I haven't decided. I think we'll try our luck on the continent."

"Zabuza-san…Have you considered returning to Water Country yet. To finish what you started."

Haku's tone was hesitant. He knew Zabuza wouldn't want to make any alterations to the plan.

Zabuza shook his head, "No, we don't have enough resources yet. Although… maybe Gato can solve our problem in a different way…he won't need all that money if he's dead."

After that stunt the scum bag had pulled earlier Zabuza was just looking for an excuse kill the bastard.

"We…We could join the rebellion," suggested Haku hesitantly.

"Rebellion. Ha! From what I've heard they're getting their arses handed to them. Is that what you want Haku, to go off and die?"

"…"

"I thought not. I've been there Haku…Yagura won't be defeated by a rag tag bunch of bloodline users. I learnt my lesson well. I'm not facing him again until I have an army at my back, and you have your Hyōton perfected. I've told you before, I need you to nullify Yagura's Suiton ninjutsu."

Haku took a moment to consider before he spoke again. "Yes Zabuza-san, I will have it perfected as soon as possible."

Zabuza nodded his head, everything was as it should be. However, he couldn't deny that part of him wanted to go back there, to go down in a blaze of glory, but such thinking was for fools and idiots, and he was no fool. He would return only when he was ready and then he would make Yagura pay.

"Let's move out. I want to see of those Leaf nin have anything new to offer before we kill them."

**(1)**

* * *

Naruto gazed out at the vast expanse of water as the sun started to peek out over the horizon. The morning light painted the sea in a blush of orange and reds. It was almost time, today he would test himself against one of the best, an A rank missing nin.

He turned his gaze from the sunrise as he felt Akeginu approach.

"Well, what did you find out?" Naruto asked as she made her way over to him.

"It was that creepy boy. The one named Sai. It seems he can make... constructs out of ink," replied Akeginu.

"Ink? That's interesting."

_Ink? _He wasn't familiar with the technique, but that wasn't saying much. Chakra was an extremely versatile form of energy, practically limitless in application. The presence of ink hinted at some form of Fūinjutsu, but then again maybe not. Perhaps they were like clones or maybe something entirely different, a ninjutsu construct? He had too little information to form an accurate conclusion, he needed to see the technique in practice. Naruto made a note to confront this Sai at some point in the future and see if he could get him to use the technique.

"Sai…huh. Did you notice something about him?" Naruto asked. He was positive should she would have noticed it, he had and she trained him.

Akeginu nodded her head in the affirmative. "He's definitely been trained better than the other genin. He's at a totally different level. A higher level of situational awareness, movements that reveal considerable training experience and his eyes suggest more than a little blood on his hands. The last we checked, the Konoha Academy didn't blood their genin. I also noticed evidence of some emotional conditioning. I'm not sure if it's his doing or the result of his training, my bet's on the later…it's not naturally occurring that's for certain."

Naruto remembered the boy's face. A fake smile, detached eyes that looked straight through you. It was a face of a devoid of feeling, an emotionless tool. Naruto understood the logic behind it. Emotions can be unpredictable at the best of times. They can interfere with efficiency, make an otherwise rational person act irrational. One only had to look at Akeginu as an example. She gave into her hate and died as a result.

Control was the key. Emotions could be a double- edged sword. On one hand you needed them to empathise with other people. They were also a powerful source of motivation. On the other hand unchecked emotions could easily be your undoing. A rush of anger usually coincided with a loss of technique and awareness. Emotions could also be used against like a weapon. A lover could become a hostage. A family could be targeted to indirectly hurt you. Viewed from that perspective one could easily see the attraction of having emotionless shinobi. The person who trained Sai certainly perceived emotion as a weakness, or at the very least an unwanted interference or factor in his or her plans.

However, assuming that emotions were a weakness didn't necessarily mean that an emotionless ninja was a better ninja. Whoever trained Sai failed to understand the necessity of emotions in intelligence work, or at the very least the necessity of understanding human nature. Without that Sai's potential would be limited. He would only be capable of the most rudimentary of assignments such as simple civilian assassinations, and spy work. He would be incapable of predicting an individual's action because his understanding of human nature was restricted to logical decision-making. What would he do if facing an irrational opponent? According to the bingo book this was the case for most S rank missing nin. Sai would not be able to improvise or adapt to such an enemy. He was an ineffective weapon designed by someone who had control issues, someone who feared and had no confidence in his or her own followers using their own judgement. In other words a poor leader. **(2)**

"I arrived at the same conclusion when I first saw him. It can't be a coincidence that his ink mice show up at the exact same time we find out Gato has clients in Konoha."

"You think he's an agent?" Akeginu asked.

Naruto nodded his head and replied, "It's highly likely. Though I don't know if he was here just for Gato. These days Uchihas are a precious commodity in Konoha, he's probably there to keep an eye on the one in Team 7. "

_And harvest those eyes should the Uchiha die, _thought Naruto to himself.

"What do you plan to do about it?" Akeginu asked.

"Nothing right now, but it's another lead to follow when we get back to Konoha."

Naruto now had two threads to follow upon his return to Konoha, Sai and the restaurateur Ryoma. He would assign a squad of Shadow clones to gather intel on both. Hopefully one of them could reveal more about Danzo and his operations. namely whether or not they were sanctioned, officially or unofficially by the council.

"Do you think he could out you? His mice did see you at Gato's place."

Naruto considered her question for a moment. He wasn't sure how much the mouse had seen or even how they worked. Did Sai know Gato was dead already? Unlikely, he would have sensed the mouse in the room. He also doubted the ink constructs functioned like shadow clones. If so, then Sai didn't have much other than the fact that someone had been at Gato's place. Sai might have his suspicions, but that wasn't anything he could act on. Even if he did, Naruto had an alibi. He had a shadow clone with Yūgao the entire time.

Naruto eventually replied, "I'm not too concerned. In any case it'll have to wait, Zabuza comes first."

"So, what's the plan for the swordsman?" Akeginu asked.

"I believe it was you who told me that the blood mist comes into its own when dealing with groups of people," said Naruto to Akeginu who nodded her head in response.

"Well, now I get to put that into practice."

Akeginu's eyes widened briefly, "You're going to have him and Gato's men kill each other."

Naruto shrugged," Well, Gato's men anyway, I doubt they'll be able to kill Zabuza, especially while inside the blood mist. I'll have to do that myself."

"You'll have more fun that way, " said Akeginu. Naruto could tell she was getting excited. There was a slight hint of blood lust in her voice like she was fantasising about some of her own experiences in the past.

_Weird..._

"But there's more. You know that technique I've been working on?" Naruto asked.

"Yes..." She had seen him practising it in the ruins, but Naruto hadn't gone into the details with her. All she knew is that he had been trying to enhance her blood mist technique by adding illusions to it.

"Well, I've completed it. Zabuza and Gato's mercenaries will be the perfect test subjects."

"What do you call it?" Akeginu asked.

"**Genjutsu: ****Akai Shinkirō (Genjutsu: Red Mirage**). As the name suggests it's an illusionary technique that I create by infusing the blood mist with my genjutsu pheromones. The pheromones in my sweat mix naturally with my blood when I use the blood projection technique, so it was a natural extension for the blood mist. Essentially, I use my blood as a vector to spread the pheromones further then I would otherwise be able. The fact that the mist conceals my presence is a bonus."

"So you create illusions inside the mist?"

"Yes, but that's limiting the scope of the technique. It's a kohan'i genjutsu (Wide range genjutsu), the mist itself becomes a living illusion, something I can control, an extension of my imagination. I can shape people's perception of it how I wish…and the best part is that between the Kyuubi's regeneration abilities, my huge chakra reserves and the genjutsu modifications made to my body, the technique is almost impossible to defeat. Unless I'm taken out of the fight directly I can keep creating the mist and maintain the genjutsu indefinitely."

"Hmm, so an opponent would have to find you in the mist, something that's next to impossible."

"Yes, that or use some large scale elemental ninjutsu to clear out the mist, but even then I can just make it again. The Byakugan might be able to do something. It can see through matter and would be able to see the chakra flow, but on the other hand I'm saturating the area in chakra so there would have to be some distortion…I can't say for sure without testing it on a Hyuga. The main weakness is that the technique is situational. It takes time to conjure the blood mist. I can't really do it in the middle of a fight, so I need surprise on my side if I'm going to use it."

Akeginu was suitably impressed. Naruto had taken the technique to a whole new level. The idea behind the blood mist and similar techniques was displacement. Hide your own presence and confuse the enemy - simple. What Naruto had done was enhance both those aspects of the technique considerably. If he could create illusions in the mist then, not only could he use them to distract an opponent, but use them to control the opponent's attention. The chances of him being discovered in the blood mist went from low to practically zero. Furthermore he could use those illusions to confuse an enemy even further and if the enemy was in groups he could probably confuse them enough to start a panic and kill each other. Marvelous.

"Amazing. Naruto, it's brilliant," said Akeginu with genuine appreciation.

Naruto felt that this was the right time to reveal the technique. The Konoha nin didn't matter, he would have to use his Iga techniques in front of them eventually simply because they made up the majority of his skill set. In fact it was necessary to use it now simply because Zabuza was not an opponent he could defeat in a straight up fight.

_At least not without using every technique in my arsenal including my eyes, _thought Naruto_._

The man was world renown as one of the best kenjutsu users of his generation. He was one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, so he had trained and fought with the best swordsmen in the ninja world. Although Naruto was a genius with the blade, fighting Zabuza head on in a duel would be suicide. The man had more experience than him, and was likely much stronger and faster. Not to mention that direct confrontation went against everything Naruto had learnt under Akeginu. If everything went as planed the only time he would show his face in the light would be after he delivered the killing blow.

Naruto had no intention of dying because he didn't want Yūgao or Kakashi seeing him use a secret technique. That would be illogical. The leaf nins wouldn't be able to copy any of the Iga techniques, they were designed to be used without chakra and hand seals. That being said there were big advantages to keeping your skill set hidden, he didn't want to reveal too much too soon. His main concern was the Council trying to force him to reveal the secrets to his techniques. That would be an issue. Iga treated any threat to their secrets with extreme prejudice and Akeginu had made sure he adopted the same policy. If they contrived to force or cheat his secrets out of him then they would be dealt with regardless of his personal feelings on the matter.

Naruto turned his attention back to Akeginu. "It's about time. I'll go wake up Yūgao and we can get started."

Naruto had taken second watch so Yūgao was probably still asleep. The woman had only had a few hours sleep since they got to Wave. It was hardly ideal going into a showdown with an A rank missing nin. Naruto was in a similar situation himself, but he had the advantage or an inexhaustible supply of energy, Yugao did not. Nevertheless, from everything he had seen so far the woman was a consummate professional. She would step up, she was ANBU after all.

"Okay, good luck Naruto. I'll be watching."

* * *

"So, here's the plan Naruto. I'll start things off with a surprise attack, but I doubt that will finish them off completely. If so, Kakashi-san will engage Zabuza and I will take his associate. Team 7 will be guarding the client," explained Yūgao.

She was resting up against a tree and looking at Naruto with a serious expression on her face. She looked tired. She had purple bags under her eyes and was consistently yawning as she tried to wake up.

"So what will I be doing?" Naruto asked.

"I want you to hold back until after we engage. Stay hidden and wait for an opening. I'll let you use your own judgement on when to attack, but I suggest you be patient Naruto, wait for the right opening then take it. The longer the battle goes on the more openings you'll see. "

Naruto nodded his head. He had already predicted that this would be the plan. Yūgao was well aware of his ability to hide his presence, so naturally she'd use it to full advantage. There was one issue however.

"This only works if you and Kakashi-san stay alive. What should I do if one of you appears to be losing?"

"I don't have to stress how dangerous this battle will be. If you think you need to interfere then do so. I trust your judgement," said Yūgao.

That last statement was significant. She said 'I trust your judgement' not 'I trust you'. Naruto couldn't help but pick the statement apart. Was she suggesting that she trusted his abilities, his professionalism but not him himself?

_I suppose that's fair. I treat her exactly the same, _thought Naruto. Only time could build that kind of trust, and there was still a lock of unknowns in their relationship. Admittedly most of them were on Naruto's side.

_Maybe I should concede some details. It wouldn't hurt, but that can wait. For now, concentrate._

"Don't worry sensei…I have something up my sleeve. You might even get to see it," said Naruto.

Yūgao gave Naruto an appraising look. **"**I'll keep an eye out for it."

"Not too much I hope…I doubt Zabuza's associate will be a pushover."

"Your right of course…take care of yourself out there Naruto."

"You too sensei."

* * *

"They're certainly taking their time," commented Naruto.

He and Yugao had been waiting about half an hour for Team 7 to get moving.

"Patience Naruto," said Yugao from beside him in the tree.

"I am patient, but I'm not a monk. Did they sleep in?"

As soon as the words left his mouth Kakashi, his genin and Tazuna exited the house heading towards the bridge.

Before they moved to follow Yūgao paused. "I worried about the bridge builder's family. Gato may target them."

Naruto knew otherwise, but decided to back his sensei up. She was right in theory.

"I can leave a shadow clone behind to keep an eye on them," said Naruto.

He knew it wasn't necessary. Gato was dead and wouldn't be causing anyone any more problems. However, if Gato had been alive he likely would have targeted the bridge builder's family at some point. Naruto mind flashed back to the thoughts he had about Sai and emotions earlier. A person's family were targets. They could be used as leverage. Naruto was surprised that Gato hadn't already made a move for them before resorting to assassination.

"That'll do," said Yūgao.

Naruto made the shadow clone, it would stay until they were out of range and then go and see if his Gato and Waraji clones had finished gathering Gato's men.

With that taken care of the two of them left to trail after Team 7.

* * *

_**Half an Hour Later**_

"Well, this makes things a bit more complicated."

Naruto was mildly concerned. He was currently standing on top of a large tree along the shoreline, gazing at the large ice structure that had been erected in the centre of the bridge.

_Who would have thought, a Hyoton user in Wave of all places? _

Things had gone as expected up until that unwelcome revelation. Team 7 had arrived at the bridge to find Zabuza and his associate waiting in ambush. The missing nin had killed the majority of the bridge builder's construction workers. A shame , but there wasn't much that could have been done to stop it. Team 7 were then attacked by a small group of Zabuza's water clones, which were promptly dispatched by the Uchiha. Naruto supposed congratulations were in order, the Uchiha could now say with pride that he was one tenth as strong as an A rank nin.

Following that short display Zabuza and his partner decided to have a chat with Team 7. Naruto couldn't say what the conversation was about or even why they were talking in the first place since he was too far away, but he had a good view of Yūgao's surprise attack. While they were talking Yūgao ran out onto the water and used it as a resource to power her attack. She flew through some hand seals and created a large water dragon which she promptly directed at the missing nin. The attack would have been devastating, and the fight would have ended right there if not for the timely interference of Zabuza's partner who blocked the dragon with a large shield of ice.

Yūgao in a proper display of professionalism didn't falter despite that surprise and quickly followed up the attack launching herself through the falling water. She managed to hit the ice user directly with a sharp kick to the face, which shattered the nin's mask to reveal a rather effeminate looking male - exactly as Akeginu had described.

Things quickly progressed from there. Yūgao and the hyoton user moved further down the bridge to engage each other while Kakashi and Zabuza started their own fight. Team 7 were surrounding Tazuna as Kakashi instructed.

"It's almost time to act," said Naruto to himself. Zabuza's mist was now completely blocking his view of the action so he needed to make his move.

He quickly made a shadow clone, "Go get our Gato clone. I need Gato's men to arrive in the next few minutes so I can trap them in the mist."

"Got it boss," said his clone as it jumped down to the ground below.

With that done Naruto's body flickered down to the base of the bridge to wait until he could sense the mercenaries' arrival.

* * *

_What have you got yourself into this time Yūgao_?

"**Sensatsu Suishō (Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death)."**

_Damn._

Yūgao managed to Shun Shin out of the way just as a hail of water needles speared into the ground where she had been standing.

_That was too close for my liking, _Yūgao thought to herself as she raised her chokuto and deflected several incoming senbon.

She tried to focus on her target, but he was moving through the ice mirrors too fast for her to track. It was almost as if he was teleporting.

_Too fast! I'll have to take out those mirrors if I want to have a chance...Let's see how he deals with this._

"_**Katon: Endan (Fire Release: Flame Bullet)." **_

Yūgao sub vocalized the jutsu and a burst of white-hot fire erupted from her mouth. The flame coalesced into a bullet shaped fireball and surged forward hitting the mirror directly in a clash of fire and ice.

To her shock the steam cleared revealing an intact group of mirrors. The attack did no damage.

_Either that ice is too cold to melt, or he's repairing the mirrors faster then I can damage them. He must be able to maintain the temperature of the ice regardless of what degree of heat is brought to bear on them. This is not going to be easy._

Yugao let out a sigh_, If I can't melt the ice I'm going to have the crack it._

Yūgao dodged some more senbon and charged with pace at the nearest mirror. Holding her blade in two hands she drove it into the mirror with as much power as she could muster, but to her shock the blade bounced off the mirror with a resounding crack.

_Damn, too cold to melt, too hard to crack. What should I do?_

She skipped out of the way of an incoming spear of ice as an idea quickly formed in her mind.

"_**Doton: Doryū Taiga (**__**Earth Release: Flow River)."**_

The ground a few feet in front of Yūgao quickly turned from hard grey brick to a dark patch of mud.

_I hope the bridge builder won't mind me renovating his bridge a little, _thought Yūgao as she prepared the follow up jutsu,

" _**Doton: Doryūsō (Earth Release: Earth Flow Spear)."**_

They shot forth like arrows from a bow. Spears of stone summoned from the very earth itself, intent only on the destruction of their target.

Crack!

Yūgao smiled in triumph, her doton jutsu had worked. Several mirrors lay shattered, pierced by the spears. The stone spears were denser, harder and heavy than her blade. They had succeeded where her chokuto had failed. Now all she had to do was shatter the rest of them.

_Easier said than done, _Yūgao thought as she dodged another hail of needles.

Since that attack had worked Yūgao decided used the same principle. Earth trumped water, and although she was dealing with an advanced sub element it seemed some of that weakness had carried over. She stabbed her chokuto into the mud and channelled the earth, allowing it to weave around her blade and tighten, hardening until it was akin to granite.

With a flick of her wrist she cast away any wayward bits of mud from her blade before turning her attention back to her foe. She spotted him in the mirror opposite her. Disappearing in a blink of an eye she moved at full pace, her feet barely touching the surface. She gripped her chokuto in two hands and lunged forward intent on piecing the mirror.

Crack!

She felt herself smile as she heard the ice shatter under the impact of her doton-enhanced blade. However, that smile soon faded when she noticed she hadn't hit her opponent. With a spin she reversed her grip on her sword and sent the blade careering into the adjacent mirror where she glimpsed her foe had moved. But once again only felt the empty presence of air after she pieced the mirror. She had missed.

_He's moving too fast._

Without some means of predicting which mirror her opponent was going to move to she was not going to have much luck landing a hit on him. That left her with only one option. She needed to control where he moved, change the conditions of the fight.

"All right then. **Doton: Doryūsō (Earth Release: Earth Flow Spear)."**

Another lance of stone sprung from the mud and thundered into the mirror opposite Yūgao with a crack.

_If I can't catch him because of those mirrors then I'll just destroy as many as I can and limit his movement. Eventually he'll run out of mirrors to run to._

So she began. With one mirror, then two, four, seven. Using a combination of her earth spears and doton-enhanced chokuto, she quickly started dismantling her opponent's mirrors.

However, it didn't escape her notice that the mirrors were being repaired almost as quickly as she destroyed them. Letting a smile grace her face Yūgao moved as fast as she could to the next one.

_Objective achieved. _

She had just turned this fight from a game of cat and mouse into an endurance match.

_I guess we'll find out how good this guy's stamina is._

* * *

Zabuza glanced over at Haku's Ice Dome in annoyance.

"Heh, so you sent for reinforcements?" Zabuza asked as he pushed Kakashi backwards with his zanbatō.

Kakashi gave him a nonchalant shrug as he regained his balance. "Once I figured out you and the fake hunter nin were working together I sent for some extra help."

"Tch."

_That water dragon was jōnin level, and that speed…Looks like they sent someone good, but she won't have an easy time against Haku. That boy can even push me too my limits with those mirrors of his, _Zabuza thought to himself. The back up may have been a surprise, but it changed nothing. He and Haku just needed to win their respective fights. The kids guarding the bridge builder were nothing.

"It won't help, Haku's bloodline limit is unbeatable. Reinforcement's or not, once you get stuck in her technique the fight's over," said Zabuza trying to psyche the copy nin out.

"We'll see," replied Kakashi, not the least bit put off by Zabuza's verbal jabs.

With nothing left to say Zabuza stepped back into the mist and faded away like a wraith leaving no trace of his presence.

_Let's see how you fight without your greatest weapon Sharingan no Kakashi._

Zabuza was positioning himself to attack Kakashi's flank when he noticed something amiss. His mist had turned from its non descript haze of pale white to a pink blush, and was progressively getting redder. It was like someone was adding red paint to the water in the mist.

"What the hell?" Zabuza asked himself.

The red substance continued to consume his mist until it had turned completely crimson. That was when he smelt it. It was a scent he would recognise anywhere, a mix of salt and rusted iron. Blood. Someone was spreading blood around his mist!

Zabuza put his hand out in front of him. He could barely see his fingers as the touched the blood. It was definitely blood, he recognised the texture, much thicker than water.

"Interesting, but I won't let my own technique be used against me."

Zabuza cancelled his own Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hiding in Mist Technique), but frowned as nothing happened. The blood was still lingering in the air thicker than ever.

_That can't be right, without the water the blood should have just-_

His eyes widened as he figured out what had just happened. Someone wasn't using his water mist technique to spread the blood, the technique was actually a blood mist itself.

"Shit."

He had never heard of such a thing.

Zabuza closed his eyes. Moving around in a mist was all about your senses. You couldn't rely on your eyes so you had to rely on your hearing. Sound was the key to making your way through the mist without getting lost. However, after a minute or two he frowned and opened his eyes.

He could hear nothing but silence.

"Damn," cursed Zabuza as figured out the problem.

The acoustics were all different. He had trained to be at home in the hidden mist, all Kiri shinobi did, but he had made it his specialty. However, the blood was thicker and more viscous than water. It was heavier in the air making the mist a lot thicker than the Kiragakure no jutsu. Consequently, the level of sound being suppressed was far greater.

"Is this Kakashi's doing?"

_Or maybe there's someone else here. Heh, it doesn't matter who it is, I'm the master of silent killing. Here in the mist no one can best me._

* * *

At the very centre of the blood mist Naruto felt a smile spread across his face. After that initial hiccup with the hyoton user things had progressed very nicely. Everything was going according to plan. Well, for him anyway, he didn't know how Yūgao was finding things stuck over there in that ice dome.

Gatos' men arrived only moments ago, led by Naruto's Gato clone. Naruto commenced creating the blood mist as soon as he sensed them. In mere minutes his blood literally saturated the atmosphere. The blood mist extended to cover not only the bridge, but also the banks of Wave itself. It had engulfed everyone in the vicinity. He didn't stop there though, even now blood continued to secrete from his pores making the mist thicker and thicker. You could now see no further than a couple of feet in front of you. It was imperceptible, but the blood also carried his pheromones. Everyone in the mist was already under the effects of his genjutsu.

It was time to being the next stage of his plan. He could sense Zabuza moving away from Kakashi, as well as the hundred or so mercenaries that now congregated at the entrance of the bridge. This had always been Naruto's favourite aspect of Akeginu's Blood Projection technique. The blood was literally an extension of yourself, anything the blood touched you could track. **(4) **At this very moment Naruto knew all that was within his mist. It was like his very own little world and with the addition of his genjutsu to the mist, that analogy had just become a lot more apt.

"It's time Zabuza and our mercenary friends realized that they're not alone in here," said Naruto as he concentrated on his next move.

"**Genjutsu: ****Akai Shinkirō (Genjutsu: Red Mirage**)."

* * *

Zabuza was getting annoyed. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he had no idea where he was going.

_Shouldn't I have at least fallen off the bridge by now? Where the hell did the water go?_

If he didn't now better he would say that someone was directing his movements, but that was possible…right?

"Maybe I need to head back in the other-"

He stopped talking and his senses picked up a movement directly behind him. He spun like a whirlwind. Kubikiribōchō cut through the air as he brought the sword down to cut through his attacker. However, his sword cut nothing, but air and minute particles of blood.

"What? I could have sworn I sensed someone there," Zabuza said to himself in confusion.

_Damn it, the blood's getting in my eyes, _Zabuza though to himself as he rubbed some of the blood away from his face. The blood was starting to cling to his eyelashes and was steadily blocking out his vision. It wasn't like water, when it got in your eyes it irritated and tended to interfere with your vision. To make matters worse he couldn't shut his eyes because the damn mist was blocking his hearing.

The blood didn't stop him from spotting the shadow the second time though. It was there, no more than ten meters away from him.

"Heh, got you now."

* * *

"What the hell is this shit?" Bozu asked the guy next to him. The man's name was Ken; he was one of Gato's veterans. He had big pull with the boss man.

"As if I know. Where'd the boss go?" Ken asked.

"Dun know…Can't see anything in this," said Bozu as he stuck his head forward and tried in vain to see through the mist.

"What was that?!" Ken exclaimed, as he pointed into the mist.

"What?" Bozu asked spinning around to where Ken was pointing.

"Over there. I saw someone's shadow."

"Maybe it's Zabuza…come on, the boss is offering big money for whoever takes his head," said Bozu.

Bozu and Ken walked towards the shadow only to find Jirou, another of Gato's men, kneeling on the ground with his arms wrapped around his knees. He had his head buried under his arms like he was a child in the midst of a nightmare.

"Jirou, what the hell are you doing?" Ken asked.

"Stay back monster!" Jirou yelled. He got up faster than they thought possible and started waving his club around like a madman. He had a terrified look on his face, like he was looking into the eyes of a demon.

"Hey! Watch where you're waiving that thing," yelled Ken after Jirou almost hit him in the face.

Neither of them were prepared for what happened next.

"Die!"

Jirou charged at them with a feral look on his face. Bozu managed to block the incoming attack with his Katana, but was struggling to hold back the madman.

"Bastard. What are you doing? Ken…a bit of help?" Bozu asked he fought back Jirou. The man was attacking him with more strength than he thought possible.

Jirou stepped back to take another swing at Bozu. He wouldn't be able to block this one. But just as he was about to deliver the fatal swing Jirou stopped and screamed in pain. He fell to the ground to reveal Ken standing behind him with a bloodied katana.

"Tch, wonder what his problem was?" Ken asked as he kicked Jirou's corpse.

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

The scream came from right behind them, which was strange since before they couldn't hear anything.

"What the hell was that?" Bozu asked as he swung around.

"Me," said a voice from behind them.

The blood drained from their faces as they turned to find a tall man with a huge sword standing in front of them.

"Za..Zab-"

Ken's head was cut off before he could finish and Bozu found himself defenseless as Zabuza grabbed his throat with an iron grip.

"Who the hell are you and why are you here?" Zabuza asked. His tone made it clear, it was an 'answer me now or die' type of question.

"G-Gato…he's paying… big money for anyone to kill you-argh..hhh-"

Zabuza effortlessly crushed Bozu's throat and dropped his corpse to the ground with annoyance.

"Tch. I new that scumbag couldn't be trusted… Heh, at least now I have an excuse to kill the bastard. He'll find out first hand why I'm called the Demon of the Mist," said Zabuza to himself as two more unsuspecting mercenaries stumbled onto him and the three bodies at his feet.

"You two ready to die?"

* * *

Naruto pulled his katana out of the mercenaries back as the man's body sunk to the ground.

"Ten down…fifty seven to go. Hmm, either Zabuza is taking them down much quicker than I am, or the men are killing each other quicker than I anticipated?"

_Not that it matters, _Naruto thought to himself.

Naruto had used illusionary shadows to draw Zabuza towards Gao's men. The men were already killing each other by the time the swordsmen got there. Naruto didn't need to use any large or overly complicated illusions. The mist did all the work for him. The men were already confused, skittish. By taking away a person's senses you frighten them with the unknown. He merely used that to his advantage. Little things, a shadow on the periphery of someone's vision, just enough to make the men think that someone or something was stalking them. The allusion of something stalking you in the mist can be far more frightening than seeing the actual threat. The result was a group of poorly trained armed men on the edge of their skin. One spark was all that was needed to set them off.

He did that personally. He body flickered straight into the middle of the group. They couldn't see him of course. He used his pheromones to manipulate their perception in the mist. To them he was completely invisible. They did notice however, when he stabbed the person in front of him in the kidney. He immediately body flickered away as the body tumbled to the ground in the middle of the group and then watched as the men leveled accusations at each other.

He quickly followed up the attack by pulling the group into his red mirage. The red mirage was not a specific illusion, rather the name referred to the technique of using his blood mist to spread his genjutsu inducing pheromones. The idea was to use the confusion and displacement caused by the blood mist and take it to another level using illusions. As to the exact nature of those illusions, well, that was left to Naruto's imagination. Naruto liked the idea of a foreign world of endless red. He already had the world created with the mist so he just needed to add some frightening inhabitants. He chose demonic spectres.

Bodies made from black shadow, and eyes glowing red. That's what each mercenary saw when they looked at each other. A competent nin like Zabuza would have recognized a genjutsu at work immediately, but these mercenaries didn't. The result was complete chaos as the group tore each other apart. Add in Zabuza who soon stumbled upon the mess, and within a few short minutes the group that numbered over one hundred had been cut in half…some of them literally.

"I suppose this is as good a place as any," said Naruto as he took out a scroll and unsealed Gato's head. He dropped the head next to a pile of bodies he had come across. The place was quickly turning into a slaughterhouse and he doubted anyone would try and match up the bodies.

_I'd put money on a mass cremation. _

"I'd better go check on Kakashi and Team 7. Neither of them had moved, something for which he was thankful. The slaughter was taking place near the base of the bridge away from the construction area where Yugao was fighting, but even then it was only about fifty meters away from Team 7. The only reason the mercenaries or Zabuza hadn't already stumbled upon them was because of Naruto's control of the mist and a subtle genjutsu. It was imperceptible but Naruto was using his pheromones to make it seen like the mist was swirling in a clockwise direction. Everyone who moved in the mist ended up moving in a circle no matter what direction they went in unless Naruto used distractions to make them move in a specific direction like he did with Zabuza.

* * *

"I wonder if Zabuza's still in there," said Kakashi.

He was still in the same position he had been in when Zabuza had faded into the mist. The red mist had been a surprise and he was positive it wasn't Zabuza's doing.

"I suppose I better put this away for now," said Kakashi as he deactivated his sharingan and pulled the headband over his eye. He had tried to gaze through the mist with his sharingan, but saw nothing but chakra.

A voice came form behind him. "Talking to yourself Kakashi-san."

Kakashi jumped in surprise. He quickly spun around and found himself facing Yūgao's partner.

Kakashi visibly relaxed, "I wish you'd stop doing that."

"Maybe, I get that request a lot for some reason," said the ninja.

"I wonder why," Kakashi muttered under his breath.

Kakashi couldn't see him clearly enough through the mist, but for some reason he got the distinct feeling that the nin was smiling smugly at him.

"Is this your doing?" Kakashi asked the ninja while point at the red mist.

"Yes."

"Um…do you need any help?" Kakashi asked. He had just been standing around found the last ten minutes. He would have gone looking for his genin, but wasn't game to go running around in the mist. That was a good way to get yourself killed.

"Not right now, Zabzua and Gato's men are killing each other. I'll finish off the surviors."

"Gato's men?"

"I spotted them walking up the bridge after you and Zabuza engaged. They were planning on killing the survivors of the fight, so I cast my blood mist over the entire area trapping them and Zabuza in it."

"Blood mist?" Kakashi asked.

"It's the name of this technique," Naruto replied.

"I've never heard of it."

It was a rare occasion when a man who knew over one thousand techniques found one he hadn't heard of.

"Of course you haven't," said the ninja. Kakashi could detect some amusement in the ninja's voice.

"…"

Kakashi frowned. The ninja was purposefully ignoring the implied question again.

_Is he going to make me ask him directly?_

"Ah…Are you sure you don't need any help?" Kakashi asked. He decided to leave his curiosity for later given the seriousness of the situation.

"Not at the moment, you won't be able to move around in this mist anyway and I would lose my advantage by ending the mist. If Zabua gets the better of me I'll cancel the mist and you can engage him. "

Kakashi nodded his head. It was a pretty accurate summation of the situation.

"I think you're better off watching over the target and your team Kakashi-san…at least for now."

The still to be named ninja pointed to Kakashi's right and the mist parted showing Team 7 and Tazuna standing only ten meters away. Kakashi was surprised that they had been so close and he hadn't sensed them at all.

_That's a high level of control, _Kakashi noted as he watched the unnamed ninja control the blood mist.

_Things aren't adding up. That's a high level of control over an unknown technique. I'm pretty sure there's a genjutsu weaved through it as well. He could also sneak up on me, something only the Hokage or Jariya-sama could do…It doesn't add up, how come I haven't heard of this guy? He's too skilled to have remained so anonymous. He must be in ANBU… or is he ROOT?_

"So what's your na- …damn," said Kakashi. The nin had disappeared on him while he had been lost in thought.

"Oh well." Kakashi shrugged as he made his way over to his genin, he would find out the name of Yugao's mysterious partner at some now he had to concentrate on keeping Tazuna alive.

"Sensei, what's going on? What's this red mist?" Sakura asked in a frightened tone.

"It's our friend from before, the ninja that delivered the message the other day," replied Kakashi

"The one in black?" Sasuke asked with interest. Kakashi could tell the boy was curious about the red mist technique.

"Yes, he's fighting Zabuza now."

"Shouldn't we help him?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi shook his head," We would only get in the way. My Sharingan can't see through this mist, and the rest of you would just be running around blind. We'll stay here and protect Tazuna why Yūgao-san and her partner fight."

"The Sharingan can't see through the mist but he can?" Sasuke asked.

"Well he can't see through the mist either, I'm sure he using some other technique," Kakashi explained.

Kakashi didn't add that his ninken would also be helpless in this mist, hell even an Inuzuka would get lost in this. Nothing short of the Byakugan would help you. And, if he was right about the genjutsu then...well the technique would be one of the most formidable he's ever come across.

* * *

Naruto appeared not far from Zabuza's position ready to make his final play. The swordsman was finishing off the last of Gato's men so everything was set.

_Gato's men are as good as done, now for the main piece._

Naruto had no intention of fighting it out here with Zabuza. He only needed the right opening and he would take it. He would kill the nin in a single strike.

But that was easier said than done. He briefly considered using his ebon ropes here, but dismissed it. They weren't required just yet and it would be more beneficial for his development if he could come up with a way to take down Zabuza without relying on his trump cards.

His current plan was going fine anyway. His genjutsu would provide adequate distraction. He also had the option of shadow clones. Shuriken and explosive notes were also an option.

_Why not use all of them? _Naruto thought to himself.

After all he always preferred to stack the deck in his favour.

* * *

Meanwhile, not far from Naruto's position Zabuza cut down another of Gato's men.

"Just how many of these guys are there?"

By now he had killed close to forty men. It was hard work. He couldn't rely of jutsus since he didn't have a visual on most of the men so he had to do it all physically. His preferred method to be sure, but it was tiring when you're fighting this many people.

The fact that he was practically blind didn't help. He was literally drenched in blood now, and a fair amount had gotten into his eyes.

"This is getting annoying," muttered Zabuza as he stalked through the mist. He was starting to lose his temper as he still hadn't found a trace of whoever was responsible for the mist, and Kakashi had literally disappeared.

"I can't even find Haku's ice dome and that takes up half the bridge!"

He ranting was cut short when the mist started to bubble around him.

He rubbed his eyes. "What the fuck?"

The blood continued to bubble like it was boiling before it started to coalesce into the form of a large man. After a second or two it slowly took on more details. The figure was huge, close to eight feet tall. He wore samurai armor, red like the mist and held a long a cross-shaped spear that Zabuza recognized as a Jumonji yari. The most disturbing feature was its face. He wore a black hannya mask and had red glowing eyes.

"This has to be a genj-"

He was cut off as the monster charged at him. He brought up _Kubikiribōchō _and blocked the spear, but was flung backwards by the strength of the creature.

Seeing that had some space to move he flared his chakra, "Kai!"

The creature faded back into the mist and Zabuza found himself standing back where he was before the creature attacked.

"Heh, this is starting to get-"

"Argh!"

He was cut off when a kunai hit him in the back of his left shoulder.

"Shit."

He pulled out the kunai and frowned. _I should've sensed that. Damn it, I can hear anything in this mist. I can't even trace the flight path. _

The kunai had hit him straight in the shoulder joint practically rendering his left arm useless.

"Bastard's got good aim whoever he is."

_Swinging __Kubikiribōchō one handed isn't going to be easy, _Zabuza thought to himself with worry.

Zabuza was brought out of his thoughts when a foe almost took his head off. He blocked the follow up attack and found himself looking into a pair of sharp blue eyes.

It was hilarious, his opponent was only a kid.

"Ha! You're only a kid. I'll give credit where credits due, you almost got me, but almost isn't good enough in this business," said Zabuza as he moved to cut the kid down.

Unfortunately before he could strike the kid went poof!

Zabuza paused.

_Clone?_

The smoke cleared and standing in the clones spot was another clone holding an…explosive tag.

"Substitution. Shit."

Zabuza managed to substitute with a log just in time, but still caught some of the blast as he was sent spinning into the ground. His left arm was slightly burnt.

"Fuck! I can't believe I fell for that."

Zabuza noticed the kid was in front of him again, this time he was just standing still looking at him.

Zabuza raised his sword and slashed at him, but his sword cut straight through him. The kid's form wavered, and shimmered like a reflection in water before fading into the mist.

"Shit another genjutsu…How does he keep trapping me in them?"

_It couldn't be... could it…the mist? But no one's been able to do that since the Nidaime Mizukage and I would have noticed a summons, surely..._

Zabuza's thoughts were interrupted when several shuriken came flying out of the mist. He managed to deflect them , but cringed when he felt himself pull a muscle in his right arm.

_Damn. It's as I thought. My swords to heavy to use properly with one hand._

He then noticed a shadow skirting the edge of his vision. He moved after it, but stopped mid stride as he noticed another circling him.

"More than one_?"_

_Or is this another illusion?_

He kept moving at pace spinning as he tried to keep the shadows in sight. One darted out through the mist, a figure cloaked in shadow. He swung his blade cutting right through the shadow with absolutely no resistance.

"Shit, not ano-"

He was cut off when a sharp pain erupted in his chest. As soon as he noticed it he felt his vision change and his perspective shift violently. All of a sudden he was standing back where he was before he first saw the shadows. He also noticed the blood mist starting to fade.

_Did I lose?_

_Yes,_ the pain was still there. Zabuza looked down and saw the point of a katana sticking out of his chest. It was hard to tell how much he was bleeding because of the mist, but he knew just by looking at the wound that it was a fatal strike.

_Heh, he got me right in the lung. Beat me at my own game…_

He tried to speak, but just coughed up blood instead.

He tried again, "H-how…how did you get behind me?"

"You were distracted Zabuza-san, but I wouldn't feel too bad, it's impossible to detect my presence in this mist" said a calm voice from behind him. His killer sounded young.

He felt the katana dig deeper into him as the ninja changed position. He winced from the pain but refused to cry out. He could now see the ninja's black hood in his periphery vision.

"I guess you're no longer the master of silent killing," said his killer. It was little more than a whisper, but Zabuza could hear him clearly.

Zabuza couldn't see his face clearly, only a charcoal coloured hood and a flash of pale skin that was soaked red with blood.

_Heh, he looks like an actual demon._

Zabuza coughed up another mouthful of blood.

"Damn it…I can't die yet…Haku…Hak-"

Zabuza tried to force himself off the blade, but the ninja behind him kicked him forcefully in the back of his knee forcing him to his knees. He felt the ninja put his foot on his back and yank the sword from his chest in a single, extremely painful motion.

"Argh," moaned Zabuza in pain as he fell flat on his face. He was done. He could feel his strength fading rapidly as he bled out on the cold ground. The mist had all but faded so he found himself staring at Haku's ice dome for what would be the last time.

As he lay there, blood pooling around him he thought not of his desire to kill Yagura, not of that night where he failed so many years ago, not of the fact that he would never get a chance become Mizukage or have his revenge, but of Haku…his student…brother…

"Zabuza-san!"

* * *

"Impossible."

Kakashi looked on in shock as the blood mist started to recede. It wasn't the image of Yūgao's partner standing in the middle of the bridge with his katana sticking through Zabuza's chest that shocked him. Kakashi had a feeling that the stranger would win. He had displayed a disconcerting level of skill so far, and there was something about the nin that just screamed danger.

No, what had shocked him was the sheer amount of bodies littering the bridge. It looked like the aftermath of a battle. There must have been close to a hundred dead bodies on the bridge. The disturbing thing was that a few of the corpses were just a few meters from him and team 7.

_So those were Gato's men? What the hell happened inside that mist?_

"S-sensei…what happened here?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi turned to see all his genin looking at the scene in shock. Well, except for Sai. He didn't seem particularly shocked or surprised. Sasuke looked like he couldn't believe what he was seeing while Sakura had now turned away from the grizzly scene and had tears in her eyes.

Kakashi sighed, he could only hope this incident would help her realise that being a ninja wasn't a game, that her life and those of her team mates was actually at risk.

"Zabuza-san!"

Kakashi turned as he heard the voice scream out. He saw the ice structure shatter as if it was made of glass and Zabuza's associate bolt out heading straight for Yūgao's partner and Zabuza.

He moved to intercept the nin, but paused when he saw Yūgao's partner pull his sword out from Zabuza chest and face the oncoming missing nin. He also noticed Yugao pursuing and decided not to intervene as the two would pin the ninja between them.

* * *

Naruto turned from the dead figure of Zabuza to where the voice had come from.

_Looks like I grabbed somebody's attention._

He casually tilted his head to the side allowing the incomming ice spear to fly harmlessly past his head and focused his attention on the hyoton user. The nin looked in bad shape. He obviously hadn't escaped Yugao's clutches without injury. His mask was shattered and there was evidence of sword wounds on several places around his body.

Naruto brought his katana in front of him in a loose defensive stance just as the hyoton user followed up the initial attack by launching a barrage of senbon at him. Naruto used the flat of his katana to swat the needles aside without injury.

Naruto shifted his gaze from the enraged hyoton user to the shattered ice dome and more importantly to his sensei, closing in quickly behind Zabuza's partner.

_I just have to stall him long enough for Yūgao to catch up_, thought Naruto as he dodged another ice spear.

Naruto waited until the hyoton user, who was likely this Haku that Zabuza had mentioned with his dying breaths, closed the distance between them. He only needed to see the nin's eyes.

As soon as he caught a glimpse of the hyoton users enraged eyes Naruto activated his mystic eyes. Once again he found himself thankful for the fact that his dojustu had no noticeable aesthetic quality. Only someone looking closely into his eyes at the very moment he activated them would notice his blue eyes glow a little bit brighter. Naruto briefly wondered that if Kakashi had his Sharingan activated would he have noticed a surge of energy around Naruto's eyes?

* * *

Haku certainly noticed something. It felt like he lost the ability to use chakra. One moment he was hurtling towards Zabuza-san's murderer, the next he felt his entire body seize up as an invisible pulse swept through his body. He stumbled and came to a stop.

"Wha…"

He tried to gather his chakra so he could launch another ice spear, but his chakra was proving elusive. Every time he tried to manipulate his chakra it would slip through his hands like someone had coated it in oil.

Forgetting his chakra he puled out a senbon and started to charge the murderer when something impacted with him in the back.

He stumbled but was otherwise okay, or so he thought. The stab of pain that he felt in his back and chest shouldn't be there. He found himself coughing up blood and clutching at his chest as he looked down to see a blade sticking out of his chest. It was almost in the exact same place Zabuza had been stabbed.

Despite his pain Haku tried to shape his chakra for one last attack, but just as before it slipped through his hands like water. It seemed the very thing that made him useful to Zabuza had abandoned him during his dying moments. Haku found it fitting, he had become useless the very moment his master had died. There was a certain sense of symmetry about that, which resounded with him.

As he lay there dying he tried to glimpse Zabuza one last time before the light faded from his world, but the last thing he saw before he faded away was a pair of cold indifferent blue eyes.

* * *

"Looks like he finally ran out of stamina," said Yūgao as she pulled her chokuto from Haku's corpse.

"Looks like it," observed Naruto. It was a convenient excuse for Haku's little stumble.

"Are you okay Naruto?" Yūgao asked between breaths.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that sensei? You have a needle sticking out of your arm," said Naruto to Yūgao. He was pointing at the fine needle of ice that had pieced Yūgao's bicep.

"Oh…I didn't notice that," said Yūgao.

Naruto rolled his eyes at her. The woman needed to take better care of herself.

Yūgao pulled the needle out of arm, but froze as she noticed the collection of corpses littering the bridge.

"Naruto…what happened here? Explain."

Naruto could see that she was serious so he replied in kind.

"Gato and his men showed up midway through the fight…It didn't work out to well for them."

"H-how did they end up dead? And what's with all the blood?" Yūgao asked as she tried to piece the battle together from the aftermath.

Naruto shrugged, "I used a new technique I've been working on. I told you I had something up my sleeve. Ask Kakashi-san, he had front row seats to it."

"I'll be sure to."

Yugao looked like she wanted a more detailed explanation but it would have to wait as both of them noticed Kakashi, Team7 and Tazuna making there way over.

"Sensei, what should we do about my identity? I'd prefer not to make too much of a fuss…at least for now."

_I'll doubt they would believe it anyway. _

"Kakashi will need to know, but the genin certainly don't. The Hokage wanted your current circumstances kept secret for as long as possible. However, that will no longer be possible now that you've killed an A rank missing nin. That tends to attract attention Naruto."

"True, I'd rather the other genin don't know for now at least. I'd prefer to avoid the inevitable fuss that would follow once they discover I'm not the idiot they believe me to be."

"Fair enough," said Yūgao as she made her way over to Kakashi.

While she was debriefing Kakashi about what happened while she was inside the ice dome Naruto decided to go over and collect Zabuza's head and sword. He did the work so he might as well claim the reward.

* * *

"Kakashi."

"Yūgao."

The two gave each other a curt greeting.

"Who's your friend?" Kakashi asked while nodding his head in Naruto's direction.

_I figured he'd want to know that first._

"Apprentice. He's my apprentice," Yūgao corrected.

Kakashi looked visibly surprised at that. It wasn't surprising since Anko was the last time there had been an apprentice and that hadn't exactly ended well. Most thought that the practice had been banned, but in reality the Hokage just wasn't comfortable instituting it.

"An Apprentice? I didn't even know you had left ANBU let alone become a sensei."

"You're not exactly the most informed person in Konoha Kakashi. If you stuck your head out from behind those books once in a while you probably would have heard, my apprentice has been making waves."

"Really?"

Yugao nodded her head. Despite what the Hokage wanted she was sure Anko or one of the ANBU would have blabbed by now. Ibiki? Not so much, he wasn't a gossip.

"We only started recently. As you know there aren't many kenjutsu users in Konoha," explained Yugao.

"True, so what's the story with you two?"

"I'll tell you later," said Yūgao. She gave a subtle nod of her head towards the genin.

Kakashi picked up on it and nodded his head. He understood, the story wasn't suitable for genin ears.

"Ahhhhhh! Sensei what's he doing?!"

Yūgao winced at the volume of the girl's scream. She didn't envy Kakashi having to put up with that on a regular basis. She sounded like a cat being skinned alive. The girl wouldn't live long if that was her standard reaction to a surprise.

Yūgao and Kakashi looked over to the source of the girl's surprise. Naruto had just cut off Zabuza's head and was now sealing away the missing nin's giant sword.

"Calm down Sakura. He's just collecting the head for the bounty. Zabuza was an A rank missing nin, his head is worth a lot of money," explained Kakashi.

Yugao tore her eyes away from the legendary sword with noticeable difficulty and went back to talking with Kakashi. She needed to get his observations of the fight. She could, no, would get Naruto to show her that sword later.

* * *

Naruto finished sealing away Zabuza's head and his sword. He ignored the obnoxiously loud scream from Haruno, his shadow clones had learnt how to tune it out over the years and he had inherited the skill from them.

_I love shadow clones._

"But these are Gato's men!" Tazuna yelled as he made his way over to the slaughter.

"Correct, Gato as well," said Naruto as he walked over to where he dropped Gato's head. He held it up to Tazuna.

"I killed this one myself," said Naruto as walked over.

"Gato's dead…"

Tazuna sounded like he couldn't believe it.

_I suppose seeing his dreams become reality could be hard to accept. Or maybe it's just hard to believe the suffering they went through is finnally over, _thought Naruto as he remembered the old man Kazuya and the others he had rescued.

"Yes, and so are most of his men," said Naruto.

"It's…It's really over…"

"Gato's reign anyway, you still have to finish that bridge and even then it will still take a good six months before Wave can recover from the damage Gato caused."

Tazuna looked at Naruto. "...You're right,"

Tazuna walked up to Naruto had shook his hand. "Thank you, you have no idea how much this means to all of us."

_I have a better idea than you think old man._

"What's your name?" Tazuna asked.

Naruto sighed. _Why do I even bother…__Team 7 will find out anyway._

With that thought he glanced over to Team 7 who were still standing next to Yugao and Kakashi. The Uchiha was glaring at him, no doubt upset that he didn't get a chance to prove himself in battle.

_Fortunate for him, he wouldn't have lasted one minute against Zabuza and I doubt he would have lasted long against the Hyoton user given how much trouble Yugao had with him. He hasn't even awakened his sharingan yet._

"Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto finally replied as he shook the bridge builder's hand.

Having collected the head and sword Naruto and Tazuna walked back over to the group.

Naruto took in the sight of Team 7 with some amusement, they were covered in blood. Clothes, hair , skin. You name it, it was covered in blood. His blood to be precise.

"We need to talk about this technique of yours," said Yugao as Naruto reached her.

Sasuke eyes gleamed when her heard that, something that didn't go unnoticed by Naruto or either of the jonin.

"Can we do it later sensei? That technique of mine took a lot out of me and I'm barely standing as it is. Team 7 here also need a wash, they're filthy."

All of Team 7, even Sai, twitched at that.

"Thats your fault!" Sakura screamed.

"How did you stay clean anyway?" Kakashi asked after he noticed Naruto didn't have a drop of blood on him.

_Perfect control and the fact I can reabsorb it into my body._

"Wouldn't you like to know," said Naruto.

Yugao smiled in amusement. "Very well, I'll debrief you later."

"See ya," said Naruto as he disappeared in a cloud of blood.

* * *

Team 7 twitched as they saw the mini cloud of blood. Some of them may have developed an intense dislike for it after today.

"How come I didn't get that guy when I requested this mission," said Tazuna.

"You would have had to pay more. Maybe next time you won't lie to the Hokage," scolded Yugao.

That and the glares Team 7 were sending him shut him right up.

* * *

Akeginu smiled as her apprentice disappeared. She had watched the whole display with glee.

_So it begins._

It was fitting that Naruto put himself on the map with a Iga technique he had combined with one of the new world jutsus. There was a symbology about that she liked.

_Those fools in Konoha are going to go ballistic over this. _

She wished she could be there when they read the mission report. No doubt Naruto will be called before them once they realised he was no longer their whipping boy. Only a few would be smart enough and humble enough to recognise the true significance of today, that he never was theirs and that they had all been played for fools. She wasn't too concerned. Naruto had been reading about politics since he was ten, she made sure he was as comfortable on that battlefield as he was on this one. Iga fell victim to back room politics, Naruto would not share the same fate.

_The experience would probably do him good. _

The politics in Konoha were small in scale compared to those of the Imperial Court and the participants small fry compared to people like Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hattori Hanzo. Her student would do fine.

* * *

_**The Following**_** Morning**

Naruto woke up in a bed, which was odd. He hadn't slept in one in a while. It was morning to, slivers of sunlight were creeping through the thick curtains and onto his face.

_Wait. Sunlight? That can't be right,_ Naruto thought to himself. He always got up when the sun rose, without fail. Something was amiss.

"What…"

He paused as he felt someone move next to him. He wasn't alone.

Naruto noticed a tanned arm draped across his chest. He could feel the pleasant sensation of a large pair of firm breasts pressed up against his side. Someone's leg was intertwined with his and there was a distinct moist presence on his thigh.

_That's right…I suppose 'amiss' wasn't the right word to use._

Naruto turned his head to stare into the beautiful face of Kiriko. She was still asleep. Her head was resting lightly on his shoulder and her dark hair was a mess of curls.

Last night had been lively to say the least. Following the victory at the bridge, news of Gato's demise quickly spread throughout Wave. A celebration soon followed in the town square. Yūgao and Naruto had taken the opportunity to move from the camp into town. Both of them and the women they had rescued were keen for a night in a comfortable bed. Not that Naruto did much sleeping. He was quickly located by Hozuki Maya and dragged off so he could tell his story to her and Sun, who had come out from hiding after hearing the news. He had proceeded to drink Maya under the table. The Hozuki woman didn't know what hit her. Too bad she didn't know about his regeneration, it was literally impossible for him to get drunk, he just processed the poisons too quickly. Kiriko had spent most of the night with him as well, never straying far from his side. Eventually Naruto had gone to bed only to find that she had accompanied him there as well. Their late night activities had lasted well into the morning.

Leaving her to rest, Naruto traced his fingers along some of the scars on her stomach. The scars were testament to the harsh life she had lived, evidence of crimes committed against her. The worst of those scars were hidden from sight. He respected that she hadn't let her past control her. He remembered when he first found her and how she had followed him despite the fact that he was obviously dangerous. She had seen her path to freedom and had resolved to follow it no matter where it lead. He could only hope that the future would prove better for her. It would, he if had any say in the matter. She had a strong willpower, intelligence and experience with the worst life has to offer, he would not let such talent and potential go to waste as it had so far. He was sure that given the right environment she would flourish.

While Naruto was thinking Kiriko awoke. Her emerald green eyes looked at him warmly and she smiled at him.

"Good morning," said Naruto.

Kiriko replied by pulling him down into a kiss. Naruto hands ran along her thighs as he drew her in closer and returned the kiss. Their kissing quickly grew more passionate as Naruto's hand travelled down between Kiriko's legs. His other hand cupped one of her breasts as he started trailing kisses down her neck. She moaned as his fingers massaged between her legs. Naruto prepared to enter her, but paused when he heard the door open.

"Naruto, are you up-"

He heard Yūgao's voice suddenly cut off as she got a good look at what her apprentice was doing.

"Do you mind sensei?" Naruto asked with more than a bit of humour. Yūgao was standing completely still, a faint blush colouring her cheeks.

"I'll see you outside," said Yūgao before turning on her heel and moving out of the room as fast as possible.

_I'll be she'll knock next time._

Naruto shook his head in amusement before turning back to Kiriko.

"Where were we?"

* * *

_**1 hour later**_

"You know when I said 'I'll see you outside', what I really meant was hurry and get dressed," said Yūgao as Naruto approached her.

"Then you should have made your intentions clear. I was doing … something."

Yūgao twitched. "Don't you mean 'someone'?"

"Very funny."

"I hope you don't plan on having rescue sex with every woman you save."

"Rescue sex?"

"Yeah rescue sex. The hero saves the damsel in distress and she shows her 'gratitude' by rewarding him with sex."

"Ah…we'll let's not rule anything out."

"You're incorrigible," said Yūgao. Naruto could detect some humour in her voice.

"You sound like you're speaking from experience sensei. Have you had 'rescue sex' before? Was that how you and Hayate got started?"

"Don't even go there Naruto. You haven't been reading any of Kakashi's books have you? I swear this is something straight out of one of them."

"What books?" Naruto asked.

"You're better off not knowing," said Yūgao with a derisive shake of the head.

_She must really hate these books._

"If you say so," replied Naruto.

"Still, she's like twice your age."

"You're running out of arguments sensei. She's only thirty-two. Who cares about the age difference? Life's too short for that. Or are you trying to imply she was taking advantage of me?" **(5)**

"You've put a lot of thought into this haven't you?" Yūgao asked.

"Not really, but I can defend myself with words as well as the blade," replied Naruto.

"So I've noticed."

"So…what'd you need sensei?" Naruto asked.

"I just wanted to let you know the schedule. We're leaving this afternoon, so if you have anything left to take care I suggest you do it this morning. Team 7 will be staying on until the bridge is complete," explained Yūgao.

"Did you tell Kakashi about me?"

Yūgao nodded her head, 'Yes, I just told him who you were, and if he had any further questions to take it up with the Hokage. He was surprised to say the least."

"I'll bet."

"You'll still haven't told me how you that little deception trick off. Every ninja in Konoha has an incorrect perception of you."

Naruto shrugged, "There's not much to tell. Originally I used shadow clones because I didn't think the Academy would be worth my time. The only reason my cover lasted as long as it did was because everyone believed rumours about me, and nobody ever really tried to get to know me on a personal level. The kids my age listened to their parents and stayed away or tried to bully me while the teachers had already made up their mind about me before I even attended. Well, except maybe Iruka, but even he went into that with assumptions, believing me to be an idiot. Act like an idiot and people will think you're an idiot. It's surprising that in a ninja village I could count on one hand how many people were capable of seeing past the façade. "

"Who?"

"Well the Hokage for one, and Uchiha Itachi, but even they couldn't see the extent of how well I hid myself. They both knew I was smart, but they still believed me to be a loud mouth attention seeker."

"I-Itachi, you knew Uchiha Itachi?" Yūgao asked in trepidation. She still remembered the cold piercing gaze and the emotionless face of the former ANBU Captain.

"Yes, he used to watch me sometimes when I was little and he was with ANBU. I fought him the night he left as well. He didn't act too surprised or if he was he adjusted quickly."

"You fought him the night he left?! That was what? Five years ago. How are you're still standing here?"

"It wasn't from lack of trying on his part, but even back then I was about chūnin level and he was exhausted and looking to escape, not have a drawn out fight that would attract attention," explained Naruto.

Yūgao couldn't believe what she was hearing. _Naruto fought with Uchiha Itachi when he was eleven!_

That last memory seemed to shake Naruto out of his retrospection, "Was there anything else sensei?"

Yūgao shook her head still trying to process what she just heard.

"Then I'll see you around sensei, I want to say goodbye to Maya and Sun before we leave."

"Right... see you Naruto."

Yūgao watched as her apprentice disappeared. It was disturbing how little anyone really knew about Naruto. Most of his childhood was just one blank slate and this latest revelation was just showed how bad it really was. He fought an S rank criminal and no one even knew about it. She shook her head; someone had dropped the ball badly there. She knew she couldn't blame the Hokage for all of that, he was stuck in that office most of the time and didn't have that much direct interaction with Naruto, but surely more should have been done. Naruto was right, people didn't like him and he used that against them. They were more than ready to believe him to be an idiot, they wanted nothing more than to think themselves better than him and he used that to his advantage.

But all that would change now that Naruto had an A rank kill to his name. In Konoha beside herself, only Kakashi, Tenzo and Gai could be considered A rank. By killing one Naruto had pretty much declared himself better then the majority of ninja in Konoha.

_They probably won't believe it, or just say that the Kyuubi was responsible, _thought Yugao in disgust. She had serious doubts that Naruto would ever get the credit he was due as a shinobi, most would attribute any display of strength to his tenant.

* * *

Naruto made his way towards the centre of Wave town. There was a noticeable difference about the place. People were walking around with smiles on their faces, something that would have been a rare sight a few days previously. There were also markedly less armed thugs on the street – definitely an improvement.

Naruto wasn't wandering around aimlessly. He had several matters he needed to deal with before he left Wave. While he had been with Kiriko his clones had been auditing Gato's files and documents. Besides the hard capital he had plundered from the safe, Naruto now had access to four separate accounts in the capitals of Fire Country, Lightning Country and Water Country, as well as right here in Wave. In addition to that he also possessed the deeds to a substantial number of properties both here in Wave and in Water Country. Of course many of those assets would be devoured by creditors, but it still left him with a lot to work with.

Naruto entered the town square. Evidence of last night's celebrations was still plain to see. More than a few people lay asleep in the square.

"Good morning," greeted Naruto as Akeginu walked up along side him.

Akeginu didn't reply instead she gave him an odd look that Naruto couldn't place.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

Akeginu sighed, "…Nothing. Good morning Naruto-kun." **(6)**

_She doesn't sound like she thinks it's a good morning, _noted Naruto.

"If you say so," said Naruto as he continued walking. He was looking for someone.

"What are we up to this morning?" Akeginu asked.

"I'm going to make some investments," replied Naruto.

"Investments?"

"I have some ideas. There's now a large vacuum here in Wave, I plan on filling it with something that I can use."

"Oh, how are you going to do that?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," teased Naruto.

Akeginu puffed her cheeks in a cute fashion.

Naruto turned his attention to the first of his objectives for this morning.

"Kazuya-san, it's good to see you up and about," said Naruto as he approached the old man.

Kazuya was sitting down at a table in town enjoying breakfast. He looked much better than he had the other day, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Hello Uzumaki-san. Word around town is that you killed Gato and the ninja hired to take out Tazuna."

"That's correct," replied Naruto.

"Impressive, most thought it couldn't be done. You have my thanks and the thanks of all the people in Wave."

"Your welcome, but I'm getting well paid for this you know. It certainly wasn't because of any generosity on my part," said Naruto.

"Well, at least your honest about it. Though I doubt it really matters. Words already spread about you. By the end of the day you'll be a hero."

_Just what I need, _though Naruto sarcastically.

"Are you in charge again Kazuya-san?" Naruto asked, keen to move the conversation along. He was not one for idle chitchat and had a very specific purpose in seeking out the old man.

"For now…Tazuna will probably take over once he finishes the bridge," explained Kazuya.

"In that case I have something for you," said Naruto as he sat down and pulled out some scrolls. From them he unsealed a large number of documents.

Naruto could feel Akeginu looking over his shoulder inquisitively, but he ignored her for now.

"Here are some of the deeds Gato had in his possession. I believe these are most of the properties that Gato's took over during his time here."

"W-where did you get these?!"

"I had a look around in the ruins of Gato's mansion early this morning. Almost everything had been burnt but these were in a small safe," Naruto lied.

Kazuya nodded his head. Most of them had seen the large fire last night.

Naruto pulled out another scroll and unsealed several more documents. "These contracts were also in the safe. You'll need to renegotiate them now that Gato is out of the picture."

Kazuya picked his jaw up off the table. "Thank you Uzumaki-san, these will be a big help moving forward."

"No problem. Now if you don't mind I have some other business to attend to."

Kazuya still looked in shock and waved Naruto away, "Of course Uzumaki-san, don't let this old man keep you.

With that Naruto made his way out of the town square.

"That was nice of you, but I didn't train you to be nice so what was that really about?" Akeginu asked as they left the square.

"Tenure, goodwill, whatever you want to call it. I plan on conducting business with Wave in the future so being on good terms with them will prove beneficial. I'm not really losing anything by giving them those properties back since they weren't mine to begin with. The goodwill is more valuable to me anyway."

"True, but isn't that Konoha's goodwill as well?"

"Part of it is, but it was I who killed Gato, it was I who killed Zabuza, and it was I who gave them back the rights to their property. When they think of who helped them defeat Gato they'll hopefully think of me and not of Konoha."

Akeginu seemed satisfied with that answer. "So your building alliances."

Naruto nodded his head as he continued towards his next target which happened to be Kiriko. She should be up by now.

* * *

"Kiriko, what do you plan on doing now?" Naruto asked.

Kiriko just gave him a shrug. She didn't exactly have a lot of options.

"You don't plan on returning to Water Country, to your family?"

Kiriko shook her head and held up her pad.

_My husband sold me and my family pressured me into marrying him in the first place. When I needed them most they were nowhere to be seen. _

_Can I stay with you?_

Naruto would have liked to grant her that wish, but he had something else in mind. Hopefully she would see it as just as good.

"If circumstances were different I would take you back with me to Konoha, but that would be inadvisable. I…I have enemies there. You would not be safe. Instead I have an offer for you."

He was pleased to see that Kiriko was listening intently rather than getting upset. He smiled to himself, he had read to woman correctly after all.

"I would like you to be my agent here in Wave."

She paused and took in what he had just said.

_Your agent?_

"Yes. You see I'm planning on setting up a company right here in Wave. With Gato gone there's a lot of potential for growth. It's going to be called The Whirlpool Company. I don't have the time to run it personally due to my obligations as a ninja, so I would like to leave it in your capable hands."

_Really? What does the company do?_

"The company will fill some of the void left by the fall of the Gato Company. Wave will grow pretty quickly now that Gato's gone, this company will be part of that. However, the company is just a front for what I really need you to do, and that is organise information that I will be providing you. In the long term I want the company to broker information."

_Information?_

"Do you know what the most important factor is in any battle or war? It's not skill, thought that certainly helps. It's not strategy or tactics, thought they're definitely necessary. It's not jutsu either, no matter how much ninja's think it is. It's information. With information you can start a war within minutes. With the right information the weakest country can overcome the strongest. Without it you can do nothing. No matter how strong you are if you do not know where to strike than your strength is useless. I have the beginnings of a promising information network, but I lack the time to properly organise that information. That's where you come in. Information is valuable commodity, I want you to look after it for me."

Naruto gave her a second to take it all in.

"So what do you say?"

Kiriko wrote down here answer and held it up to him. There was one word on the pad.

_Yes._

* * *

"Risky Naruto. Are you sure you can trust her with such an important task?" Akeginu asked as they exited the room.

Naruto shrugged. "No, but we can do everything on our own. She's as good a canditate as any. She smart, educated but has been exposed to the dark side of the world. I also doubt she would betray me since I saved her and she's has seen first hand what I can do to people."

"Right. Do you know we're being followed?"

Naruto nodded his head, "I'll take care of it."

As Naruto turned the corner down into an alley he seamlessly swapped positions with a shadow clone and moved into the shadows.

He waited until the person following had moved past him before he moved out of the shadows and grabbed the person's collar throwing them against the wall.

He quickly had his forearm pressed up against the persons throat and his kunai positon against the person's stomach.

"Why, hello. It's Sai isn't it?

* * *

All Sai caught was a glimpse. A flicker of black and blue sapphire followed by pain as he was slammed into a wall.

_Fast, _was the first thought that came to mind as he tried to orient himself. _His quarry was very fast. Faster than him. __Problematic. He's too fast for me to out run or fight, and I feel a standard issue kunai pressed up against the left side of my abdomen with sufficient pressure as to piece dermis should I make any significant movements._

As Sai's vision came back into focus he found himself staring into some of the coldest eyes he had ever seemed. Not emotionless eyes like his and those of the other ROOT members, these eyes were different. He didn't know how they were different, they clearly possessed emotion but it was controlled, tempered like a weapon.

"Why are you following me genin?"

"Dick-"

The nin hit him hard in the solar plexus with the back of a kunai causing Sai to convulse.

"Do not test my patience."

Sai could feel the sting of the kunai's edge as it bit further into his flesh.

"You interest me," replied Sai.

"Oh, and why is that?"

"Not many genin can take down an A rank nin, Uzumaki-san."

"So you know my name."

"I asked around, your names on everyone's tongue," said Sai in a level tone.

"Is that so, why do I think you already knew my name beforehand?"

"Who knows dick-"

Sai was cut off as Uzumaki's hand shot into his mouth and clamped on his tongue. Sai's eyes widened as he realised what Uzumaki must have seen. He tried to bite down, but Uzumaki had a firm grip on his tongue and was pulling it out of his mouth.

"What's this?"

He saw Uzumaki's blue eyes widened.

"A seal…Now that's not standard issue."

Sai felt the cold stell of a kunai pressed up against the root of his tongue.

"I woulldn't mind taking a closer look at this."

Sai felt it now. The feeling was foreign to him. He had felt it before, but not for a long time.

_Is this fear?_

Uzumaki was serious about taking his tongue that was for sure. He could see it in his eyes, resolve, and it frightened him.

Uzumaki had a small wry smile on his face like he knew exactly what was going on in Sai's mind.

Uzumaki let Sai's tongue go.

"Fortunately for you I have a good memory. So why are you really following me?"

Sai noticed that the kunai had migrated to right next to his right eye. It wasn't reassuring.

"It was you at the mansion wasn't it?"

"Mansion?"

"Gato's mansion, my ink mice saw someone there just before it burnt down."

"Are you saying they saw me there?"

"..."

"I thought not. If you're going to follow me don't get caught. I might not be so nice next time," said Uzumaki before disappearing using that unique shun shin of his.

Sai let out the breath he had been holding in.

"Danzo will need to know about this."

* * *

"You let him go?" Akeginu asked.

"I can kill him whenever I want, but killing him doesn't really achieve anything other than attracting even more attention. Something I certainly don't need. Besides, he's more valuable alive. Now that I'm positive he works for Danzo I can use him to track done Danzo's facilities. "

"If you say so. It's a risky game though. People can't cause problems when their throats are slit," said Akeginu.

"That's what you think, dead bodies can cause more problems then you know."

"Only if you leave any evidence lying around."

"Nevertheless, I've made up my mind on this. If he becomes a problem I'll kill him, okay?"

Akeginu nodded her head, satisfied with Naruto's decision.

Naruto made his way over to where Maya and Sun were having breakfast. This was the most difficult of this mornings pitches, but potentially the most rewarding if he could pull it off.

"We'll look who it is, the Demon Slayer graces us with his presence," snickered Maya.

"Uzumaki-san," greeted Sun.

"Demon Slayer?" Naruto asked.

"You killed the Demon of the Mist didn't you? I have to say, didn't think you could pull it off. You must have some serious skills kid," said Maya.

Naruto shook his head in amusement, "You two look like you're ready to hit the road."

"Yes, we found a ship to take us to Water Country. We leave this afternoon," said Sun.

"In that case I'll be quick. I have a proposition for you two," said Naruto.

"We're not joining Konoha so forget about it," said Maya.

"That wasn't what I was going to propose. This one is personal. Konoha's not involved," said Naruto.

Sun arched an eyebrow at that and said, "We're listening."

"You two are planning on joining the rebellion in Water Country, correct?"

They gave each other a cautious look before nodding to Naruto in the affirmative.

"Good, I want you two to deliver something to the leader of the rebellion."

"Deliver what?" Sun asked with caution.

"It's a offer…one your leader can't refuse."

"What kind of offer?" Sun asked.

Instead of answering her directly Naruto decided to explain something he had discovered while going through Gato's files.

"Did you know that Gato was backing the loyalist? He was pouring a huge amount of money into this war, it was going straight to the Mizukage's office."

"Bastard," cursed Maya.

"No, we were not aware of this Uzumaki-san, though it seems we should have been," said Sun.

"It's not surprising really, war can be profitable and Gato was good at recognising an opportunity when he saw it," said Naruto.

"War profiteer," said Maya with disgust.

"Yes. Am I correct in guessing that the rebels do not have equivalent support?" Naruto asked.

"Ha! Equivalent support. They can barely afford enough food to feed themselves," said Maya.

"Well maybe I can help," said Naruto as he removed a scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Sun. "In that scroll is an offer to finance your rebellion. You don't have to accept it, but I suggest you consider it carefully."

He made sure that he came across as serious and sincere as possible. He knew that this was a sensitive topic for both women and didn't want any misunderstandings.

"What?" Maya asked, not sure if she heard him right. Sun just looked at him inquisitively.

"I have recently come into possession of a considerable amount of funds. Funds that previously belonged to Gato."

"You sneaky bastard, you robbed Gato didn't you?" Maya asked.

Naruto nodded is head. "I may have relived him of some of his funds."

"You said that this was personal, not on behalf on Konoha," said Sun. recalling what he said earlier.

"Correct…it would be between the me and the Rebels only."

"Why?" Sun asked.

Naruto shrugged, "My position in Konoha is precarious at best. I have some strong enemies there. If it helps think of this as an investment on my part. I willing to take a chance on your group in the hopes that it pays of and I have a strong ally in the future."

"But why not support the Mizukage? He has the stronger position," Maya asked.

"I have a bloodline myself so I doubt that relationship would work out," said Naruto.

"The famous Uzumaki life force," said Sun.

_That too, _thought Naruto.

"Any way this is all moot. Take the scroll to your leader, everything is written down there."

"And if we accept?" Sun asked.

"Bring your reply, signed by your leader to the Whirlpool Company here in Wave. If you accept I'll give you access to Gato's account in Water Country."

Both Maya and Sun looked visibly surprised at that. It was warranted since there was over one hundred million ryo in that account.

"We'll take your offer with us Uzumaki-san," said Sun.

"Thank you."

Naruto recognised an opportunity when he saw it. He doubted any of the other hidden villages had reached out to help the rebels. Most of them wouldn't want any part in a civil war, and Kiri wasn't exactly well like before that. Their bloody history of in-strife and conflict had ensured that they had few allies amongst the hidden villages. But what most failed to recognise was that Yagura's genocide had the unintended effect of creating a fraction in Kiri that was different from their predecessors. There lied the potential for a new Kiri, one different from their forebears. Naruto saw a potential ally in this new faction. If they one he would have a powerful alley, and another place to invest in. He chanced little in gambling some of Gato's money on them , but the potential pay off could be huge. He could be the first to make an alliance with this new Kiri, and if that did eventuate Konoha would not be able to touch him without risking conflict with a hidden village.

Ultimately, it was a simple decision to offer the money to the rebels.

"If you don't mind, I have to get organised. We're leaving today as well."

"See ya kid," said Maya.

"Bye," said Sun.

The two Kiri rebels watched Naruto exit the tavern with interest.

"Whirlpool? Cute," said Sun.

* * *

Naruto arrived at the exit to Wave to see Kakashi waiting with Yugao.

"Naruto?"

"Kakashi-san. It seems you now know my name."

"Ah...yes, Yugao told me yesterday."

"So she did," said Naruto as he looked at his sensei who was looking amused at there conversation. "I take it the rest of your team knows."

"Yes, Tazuna mentioned your name, but they didn't believe it."

"What they believe is immaterial, but it suits me. I won't have to put up with any pointless challenges or screaming. "

"e heh e..." Kakashi looked a bit uncomfortable that Naruto boiled his team down to those two factors. He wasn't wrong but...he wasn't wrong.

"You know I personally requested you for my team," said Kakashi, changing the subject.

"Mmhm, I know, and I personally requested to be removed from it," replied Naruto.

Yugao looked at Naruto with interest. She hadn't heard this before mainly because she was delivering Mizuki to Ibiki when Naruto had his first discussion with the Hokage.

Kakashi looked visibly surprised at this revelation, or at least Naruto thought he did. It was hard to tell because of the mask.

"What? Why?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto didn't answer him directly, rather he asked, "Did you know why I failed the exam the previous two years?"

Kakashi looked like he was about to answer, but paused. That was fortunate for him. If he had said because Naruto was a failure then Naruto would have ended the conversation right there. He didn't waste his time by talking to idiots, but he knew this man wasn't an idiot.

"Based on what I've seen so far you should have passed comfortably the first time." Seeing Naruto nod his head he continued," So either something unexpected occurred or you failed intentionally."

"The latter," said Naruto.

"Why would you fail intentionally Naruto?" Yugao asked.

"It's simple really. I already knew the required knowledge and techniques needed to pass before I entered the academy. However during my first year there I was indirectly discriminated against by the majority of the staff and actively discriminated against by others."

Kakashi and Yugao both narrowed there eyes, or eye in the former's case.

"Most would just kick me out of the classroom for little things, but some even went as far as to teach me incorrect information or purposely tell me i'm wrong when I'm right. At first I was surprised that they were willing to commit treason out of simple dislike for me, I'm mean what else do you call actively sabotaging the village's future ninja...Anyway, the reason I failed was because I did not want to risk receiving the same treatment once I graduated. So instead I trained until I was strong enough to survive in the field in spite of whatever sabotage or neglect I would receive from my join sensei."

"I think you went overboard," said Yugao, thinking about her apprentices current level. Somewhere around mid jonin.

Naruto laughed at that,"Perhaps. Tell me Kakashi, why did you want me on your team? Was it because you wanted someone to be a rival to the Uchiha or because I'm your sensei's son?"

Kakashi eye opened wide at that last statement. "You know?"

"Mmhm, I've known for sometime and the Hokage confirmed it not long ago. Answer the question."

Kakashi looked a little uncomfortable. "I thought you and Sasuke would be good for each other."

"Really?I doubt that very much. I think you wanted me there as a device to motivate the Uchiha rather than help me, you haven't really cared before so why now?"

When Kakashi didn't answer Naruto said "I thought so. The reason why I refused to be on your team is simple. I refused to be placed in an environment where I would not improve. I already had my development stunted at the academy, I refused to let it happen again."

Kakashi looked like he was about to say something but Naruto beat him to it, he already knew what the copy nin was going to say. "Despite what you seem to think Kakashi-san the Uchiha and I are not rivals by any stretch of the imagination. I couldn't care less about him. I was stronger than he is now before I even entered the academy. How can two people with such a vast difference in skill even be considered rivals?"

Kakashi looked like he wanted to disagree but only ended up nodding his head.

Naruto continued, "So, when I went to the Hokage I said I refused to be on a team where I would not achieve my potential. He agreed as I would have unbalanced the team anyway, and suggested Yugao-sensei. I'm pleased to say he made the right choice, she's been great."

"Thankyou Naruto."

"No problem sensei."

"Was there anything else Kakashi-san?" Naruto asked.

"No...you've answered my questions..."

"Well, we best be off then. See you back in Konoha Kakashi," said Yugao.

"Bye."

With that Yugao and Naruto started there journey back to Konoha. As Naruto and Yugao walked away from Kakashi, Yugao decided to speak.

"Not I did enjoy watching you cut down my former superior, Kakashi really needed that, but really you shouldn't talk to jonin like that," said Yugao.

"What do you mean 'Kakashi needed that?" Naruto asked, ignoring his sensei's slight criticism.

Yugao sighed, "Kakashi's...well, he's lost sight of himself over the years."

Naruto knew what she meant. Kakashi was a jonin before most people reach genin. A real prodigy, not like the Uchiha or the Hyūga from last year. Apparently every rookie of the year is a prodgial genius these days. No, Kakashi was an actual one, but his development thad plateaued severely at some point. Given how he started he should be considered an S rank, but he's never quite managed to make the jump from A rank to S rank. **(7) **People like Itachi who were younger had surpassed him, and that should not have happened. Naruto briefly wondered as to why the copy nin had lost the resolve to strengthen himself and improve, but decided he didn't care. It was none of his business anyway.

As they left Wave Naruto couldn't help but smile. It had been a productive week. He came to Wave with nothing but his skills and Akeginu,but he left with experience against a powerful ninja, a new follower, access to substantial resources and a potential ally. Definitely a productive week. He would probably have to face the music once he returned to Konoha, but he didn't mind. He would deal with that when it came.

* * *

_**Foot Notes**_

_**(1)** Where not really given much insight into Zabuza's past so I decided to give Zabuza a similar background to Kisame (i.e. disillusioned with Kiri). For the record Zabuza was not aware of Gato's slave trading, he was just hired for the one job so only had limited contact with Gato._

_**(2)** This will be Naruto's main large area of effect Genjutsu. The others (see profile) are smaller in scale either designed for practicality or to provide an opening in close range combat. Akai Shinkiro is obviously heavily influenced by the Mirage Genjutsu, like that one the source of the mist has to be destroyed for the technique to be countered. In this case that is Naruto himself. _

_**(3)** As we know Sai isn't as emotionally stunted as everyone would believe. Naruto will discover this later._

_**(4)** You may not remember this since Naruto hasn't used this technique yet, but in chapter 2 this aspect of the blood projection technique is explained. Naruto can use his blood mist to 'tag' people. In that way it works similar to Gaara's sand (though obviously not on that scale)._

_**(5)** Naruto will have a fairly practical approach to sex. He won't view it as some sacred experience but rather as a good way to relive stress. Initially he won't being going into it with a view of creating any long term attachments (though that's not to say attachments won't result from such action)._

_**(6)** For those who are wondering - Yes, Akeginu does know about Naruto sex life. I'll save her introspection on the issue until next chapter._

_**(7)** I only consider post time skip (Mangekyo Kakashi) S rank._

* * *

**Author's Notes**

_**So the Whirlpool Company will form one of the pillars of Naruto's future **_**_power base. I decided not to waste Kiriko and have her develop as an information broker in the future. She won't be a main character but she appear every now and then. Obviously this chapter also paves the way for future involvement in the Bloodline War, but that is way off._**

_**I've been building towards the Red Mirage since I first introduced the pheromones. It will be Naruto's only 'big' area of effect genjutsu. Obviously it's extremely powerful technique, as the Nidaime Mizukage showed, unless you take out the source of the mist you won't be able to defeat the technique. It also fits with Naruto's approach to fighting since it builds on everything the blood mist did by increasing the confusion, making Naruto harder to detect and increases the chance of a successful silent kill.**_

_**I decided to hold back the Team 7 confrontation until chunin exams (better theatre for it). I had the kakashi confrontation/dress down, I don't plan on bashing Kakashi but some of that had to be said. He doesn't have a big role in my story anyway. team 7 will know who Naruto is by the time they return from Wave. Whether they believe it or not is another question. It can be hard to reconcile long held perceptions with reality. The full unveil of Naruto's identity won't happen until Chunin exams, though obviously word will start spreading now. I don't plan on bashing Sasuke or Sakura, but it's hard not to in regards to the latter since she's a bitch for most of part 1 and any positive development was mostly a result of her realising how much stronger Naruto was becoming while she was still weak.**_

_**On a side note, I'll be away for the Australia Day holiday so I plan on splitting the next chapter in two. I'll upload the first part early before I go on holidays, it will be a bit shorter because of that.**_

_**Tune in next chapter for the introduction of the Council, Yūgao's views on what happened in Wave (I've intentionally refrained form writing in any detail from her perspective), and some sleuth work from Naruto as he follows up on some leads. **_


	14. Chapter 14 - Leaf Politics

_**Chapter 14 – Leaf Politics**_

_**Forward**_

_**Hey people, I'm back!**_

_**Firstly, sorry about the delay. Let's just say I had some trouble writing this chapter. It ended up being about twice as long as I originally estimated, and it is very dialogue heavy. I can't speak for other writers, but personally, I find dialogue to be the hardest aspect of wiring. Getting it to sound natural takes time, and there are parts of this chapter that will come across as info-dumpish. I apologize in advance.  
**_

_**Moving on, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter, it was easily my most popular so far, garnering well over one hundred reviews (and beating out the previous best mark for this publication by over forty reviews). I also passed 1,000 followers and favorites.  
**_

_**This chapter covers the gap between Wave and the Chunin exam arc. I wanted to have some space in between the two, and I'm also using it to introduce some new elements (i.e. council) as well as work on some characterization (mainly Yūgao and Akeginu).**_

_**Now in regards to the council, they won't play a huge part in this fic, but they will be relevant to one particular plot line going forward. I think the main pitfall most writers fall into when portraying the council (whether canon or the larger fanfiction varieties), is using them as a plot device to ensure Naruto leaves Konoha (and just portraying them as mindless idiots in general). I can tell you now that Naruto won't be leaving because of the council. Any action he takes will be a result of his own agency.**_

_**Now that that's out of the way, here some responses to some reviews/question (NOTE:Since I got a considerable number of questions last chapter I've organized my responses topically rather than responding to each person individually. If I haven't answered your question keep asking, I do read the review's and will hopefully get to it next chapter):**_

_**- Iga Naruto Part 2**__:_ _Yes people, I'm planning on having a second publication for Part 2. Generally speaking standard novels are less than 200,000 words with larger ones getting up around 500,000. Since my fic is already around 150,000 I planning on splitting in three and making a trilogy. I estimate that Part 1 will probably cap off somewhere between 300,000 – 400,000 words. I don't want it to be much longer since it gets unwieldy and i don't want it turning into some Robert Jordan like monstrosity. _

_- **Uzushiogakure**: Yes, Naruto will go to Whirpool and he will find interesting things there. That's all I'm going to say for now, I plan of doing an entire arc based on it in Part 2.  
_

_**- Bloodmist (gardien1204's Q): **He probably could cover the entire forest of death with it though it would take some time. But it's not really necessary unless of course he wants to kill everyone in the forest.  
_

_**- ****Romance** – It's on the horizon people, though the majority of it will occur in Part 2 (with the non Konoha women). Akeginu/Naruto is a slow build, and there have been some indicators, but since there are obvious obstacles to overcome there it is going to take a while before it materializes. Right now I'm working on the first one with the Konoha girl(s)._

_Some will have noticed I changed my summary to 'Naruto/Multiple women'. This was mainly due to me not be entirely sure on the exact pairings (i.e. I won't put them in if I can't make them work). Right now the only confirmed ones are Akeginu/Kagerou/Mei (since i worked out the mechanics of these ones).  
_

_-**Yūgao**? – I'm definitely considering making her a romance option long term since I've spent so much time on her character (and I like her so far) and she'll get quite a bit of development going forward. Plus out of any of the Konoha girls she'll probably have the closest connection to Naruto.  
_

_**- ****Kubikiribōchō/ Blood mist**: I went over this in the first chapter of Wave (Yes, Naruto was aware of the sword's abilities). As I understood it, Kubikiribōchō is not just the blood version of Samehada. The blade only uses blood to repair and regenerate damage to itself, it just doesn't absorb blood continuously and keep growing. Otherwise I imagine the blade would be much more dangerous, and could literally kill/incapacitate an opponents by sucking out their blood through wounds (much like Kisame uses his sword to do with chakra). In any event this is how I interpreted the blade's abilities and portrayed it in the last chapter._

_**Kiri/Potential alliances**: I agree with **Castage's ** point about Kiri not being that strong and the need for further alliances, but it's a start for Naruto. I envisage the Kiri alliance as being just one pillar of Naruto's future power base (along with his information network)._

* * *

**[Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Basilisk]**

The sunlight waned in the evening sky while Yūgao and Naruto sat across from each other enjoying their dinner — stewed rabbit. Naruto had skewered the unlucky creature a few hours earlier with a kunai. It turns out that stumbling around in the bushes next to a couple of hyper sensitive ninjas is _not _an advisable activity for any woodland creature.

The two leaf nin had set up camp halfway between Wave and Konoha following their abrupt departure from Wave Country. Although, they had been traveling quite quickly, they were still moving at a much more sedate pace than they used to arrive in Wave. After all, there was no need to exhaust themselves; their mission had been completed successfully.

They ate their meal in silence with only the natural ambiance of the nearby forest to accompany them. Naruto liked it, but he could tell that something was bothering Yūgao. While she wasn't exactly a talkative person, the simple fact that she still hadn't ordered him to show her Kubikiribōchō told him that something was on her mind. There was no way a sword nut like her could resist getting a close up look at one of the blades of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. The swords were legendary. Knowing her, the problem likely had something to do with him.

_No doubt she has questions about my Red Mirage, I'm a bit surprised she hasn't already given me the third degree, _thought Naruto as he noted the frown marring her pretty face. She was definitely giving a lot of thought to something.

With a resigned sigh Yūgao finished her meal, put her plate down on the ground and turned to Naruto. She had a rather serious expression on her face, meaning she was all business.

_Looks like it's time to face the music, _thought Naruto.

"Naruto..."

Yūgao's tone was hesitant, almost as if she wasn't sure how she to proceed with her question or even if she wanted to ask it in the first place. Maybe she didn't want to hear the answer. Naruto found it odd, and a little disconcerting. Her behavior was completely incongruous with her usual decisiveness.

"Yes sensei?" Naruto asked curiously. He was giving her his complete attention.

"Um…Did you ever hear about an incident— it would have happened around two or three years ago — a kunoichi was almost raped by a group of men, but they were all killed by an unidentified person before it could happen."

Naruto didn't show it, but Yūgao had managed to surprise him with her question. He certainly hadn't expected her to bring up _that _incident.

"That's an odd question to ask sensei. What makes you think I know anything about it?"

Naruto asked the question with enough innuendo to imply he knew exactly what Yūgao was talking about. She had obviously linked him to the incident, he was curious to find out how.

Yūgao smirked at him like she knew exactly what he was thinking. Knowing her, she probably did.

"Well you see Naruto, my friend Yūhi Kurenai happened to be the woman involved in that incident, and she _happened_ to get a decent look at person who helped her," said Yūgao, adopting the same tone Naruto was using.

_Crap._

It seemed the woman had got a better look at him than he originally thought. At the very least, it was sufficient enough to allow Yūgao to make the connection to him.

_I suppose this shouldn't be entirely unexpected, _thought Naruto as he considered the situation. Yūhi Kurenaiwas a ninja, and from what he heard, a talented genjutsu practitioner. It made sense that she would be extremely observant, all competent genjutsu users were, and she also obviously took note of everything she saw. Though it sounded like Yūgao was the only one who made the connection to him, that was likely a result of her close connection to both Kurenai and himself.

"The funny thing was that despite how hard Kurenai or anyone else looked, we could never locate her mysterious savior. It was like he disappeared or – I don't know – was walking around Konoha in disguise or something," continued Yūgao confidently when Naruto did not respond. She was starting to present a reasonable case.

Naruto smiled at Yūgao's allusion to his shadow clones. "Oh?"

"Young male, blonde, dressed in black, good with a katana, hides extremely well in shadows, 'has a pair of amazing blue eyes' — Kurenai's words not mine. Remind you of anyone?"

Naruto winced at every detail Yūgao listed. Damn blue eyes_, _they were just as bad as his hair.

" I'm sure there's other blondes out there dressed in dark clothes with a penchant for kenjutsu and assassination," countered Naruto with what was probably the weakest argument he had ever made in his life.

"Uh huh," Yūgao replied, her tone as flat as a board. It was safe to say that she wasn't buying it.

"I…may have been involved," Naruto conceded.

"May?" Yūgao asked, questioning his choice of words.

Naruto smirked at Yūgao and replied, "Surely you don't expect me to admit to killing four people?"

"There were rapists caught in the act. Kurenai wasn't their first victim either. Not to mention that attacking a Konoha ninja like that is tantamount to treason," countered Yūgao as the verbal sparing continued.

It was a solid point.

"Still…"

Yūgao cut Naruto off. "Out with it Naruto. Tell me what happened?"

Her tone indicated that she was not going to settle for anything less than the full story.

Naruto sighed, there wasn't much point in denying her. She already knew he was responsible, and as she stated earlier — the men were criminals.

"It's not much of a story sensei. I was out and about one night when I spotted the men following the woman—"

"Kurenai," Yūgao interrupted.

"Yes, Kurenai. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were up to. Men do stupid things around pretty women—"

"Like attacking a trained ninja," Yūgao pointed out.

"Yes. Normally I wouldn't have bothered seeing as though she was a ninja and was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but I noticed that one of the men was a ninja as well. So I decided to observe them — you know — just in case. If I remember correctly she was pretty drunk at the time."

"She was. It was Anko's birthday," stated Yūgao.

"Anyway, you know the rest. The men attacked, I intervened—"

"Did you have to kill them? You would have been…what? Fourteen at the time," Yūgao asked curiously.

Naruto gave Yūgao a shrug before replying. "That's exactly why I killed them. They were full grown men, it's easier for me to use my weapons against them than to try and knock them out using taijutsu."

Not exactly true, but Yūgao didn't need to know about his other, less honorable intentions that night.

"Fair enough," conceded Yūgao. "But why didn't you say anything to Kurenai afterwards? Why did you leave?"

"Who knows what type of reaction I would have received. I didn't know her; I didn't know how she felt about me. Simple probability suggests that her reaction would have been hostile. You know as well as I do that most of the ninja in Konoha don't like me. Considering at that stage I had already failed academy once, what do you think they would have thought when I took down a jōnin? Even now, I bet you when we get back to Konoha some idiot will suggest that I used the Kyūbi's chakra to kill Zabuza."

Yūgao looked like she wanted to challenge Naruto's statement, but ended up reluctantly nodding her head in agreement.

Naruto doubted Yūgao liked the picture he was painting of her comrades. He stopped short of calling them a bunch of bigots, but the implication was there and Yūgao was smart enough to recognize it. It was one of the reasons he had come to respect her more than any other Konoha ninja. The woman had the rare ability to accept and move forward when confronting something that challenge her perception of reality. She looked at facts, and did not rely on assumptions and preconceptions.

Iruka was similar, though he had struggled more with reconciling the new Naruto with the old — likely a result of being exposed to Naruto's incompetent shadow clone for so long. It was one of the reasons he had saved him that night when Mizuki had stolen the scroll. Iruka had already demonstrated that he was capable of overcoming his preconceptions about Naruto. He had shown that much years ago.

Naruto had severe doubts about the rest of the shinobi corps . Hayate had been a pleasant surprise, though Naruto was sure that Yūgao had drilled him on what to expect. That, and the fact the man had an unhealthy obsession with kenjutsu. His interest in Naruto's battōjutsu would probably override any negative impressions he had of Naruto.

Still, he was well aware that the rest of them perceived him in a far more negative light. Incompetent, that was the majority view. Most thought he was the worst shinobi to ever graduate from the academy. He had let them keep their illusions thus far, it suited him. He encouraged it in fact. He was merely funneling their hate and negativity into a form that was beneficial for was better than other forms of abuse. Normally his deception would never have been so effective, but most were happy to jump at a chance to deride him. They wanted to believe they were better than him, that he, the 'demon brat', was beneath them. Their assumptions had been an effective armor, but the time for it had come to an end. He no longer required it.

The plan may have backfired a bit, he would be surprised if he ever made chūnin now. Without direct intervention from the Hokage the chances of him being promoted were slim. His competence would no doubt engender considerable anxiety with certain members of the Konoha community. It really came down to whether the Hokage was willing to put up with the inevitable political shit storm that would result from promoting him. Somehow he doubted it. The old man hadn't been willing to step in and ensure he got a proper education so why would he start now. Konoha had made an art out of not learning from their mistakes, **(1) **and he had long since accepted the fact that he had no future in that village.

"But, Kurenai's not like that Naruto. You couldn't find a more levelheaded woman in Konoha," said Yūgao, bringing Naruto out of his musings.

"Well, I'll have to take your word for it, but what's done is done. I made my choice," replied Naruto.

Yūgao let out a resigned sigh. "You're right…but still, you should talk to her Naruto. I think you'd like her. She's smart, serious about her job — she has a _bit_ of an unhealthy interest in genjutsu, but at least you two would have something to talk about…"

Naruto frowned in confusion. _Is she doing what I think she's doing?_

"Sensei…what are you doing?"

"What?" Yūgao asked plainly.

"You sound like you're trying to set me up with your friend Kurenai."

Yūgao spluttered," What?! Of course not, that's ridiculous."

"Uh huh," Naruto deadpanned.

"Seriously, I was _not _trying to set you two up. A jōnin-sensei can't date a genin anyway; it's a conflict of interest. I just wanted to get you to talk to her. You don't understand how much that event affected her Naruto. She hasn't had a drink since then. She got real serious about her Taijutsu, which is a big thing for her, she used to be very one dimensional with her genjutsu. She'd love to thank you."

Naruto sighed. It seemed that Yūgao wasn't going to let this go.

"Let's just let things play out Sensei. I'm not in disguise anymore, so I'll probably run into her sooner or later. We can talk then."

"Fine," said Yūgao, though she didn't sound happy with his response.

The two lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. Yūgao broke it first, "So…when are you going to show me that sword."

* * *

_**2 days later**_

"So, tell me about this blood mist Naruto?" The old man asked with interest.

As soon as Yūgao and Naruto had arrived back in Konoha they headed straight for the Hokage Tower to make their report. Needless to say, the Hokage was more than a little bit interested in a technique that allowed for a genin to defeat an A rank missing nin.

"Okay…it's a jutsu derived from another technique I know called Blood Projection. Essentially, it allows me to manipulate my own blood," replied Naruto after a moment's hesitation. He didn't see the point in denying him, the old man and Yūgao had probably already deduced the nature of the technique. Telling them the name was of no consequence.

"Manipulate your blood…how?" Yūgao asked curiously. Naruto hadn't told her much about the technique, having preferred to explain it in front of the Hokage instead of having to repeat himself. All she knew came from Kakashi's observations. In other words, not much.

"Come on sensei, you don't expect me to answer that, do you?" Naruto replied cordially.

Yūgao had the decency to look embarrassed at her question. Naruto didn't hold it against her; he just put it down to a case of professional curiosity

"I've never heard of such a thing, even amongst the Uzumaki clan," said the old man, which was saying something considering his claim to fame was his complete mastery of ninjutsu.

Unfortunately for him such knowledge was not relevant here, Akeginu's Blood Projection predated modern ninjutsu by quite some bit. The Iga clan had spent many generations developing those techniques. Considering they didn't have access to an energy source such as chakra, it was an amazing achievement.

"It's the personal technique of my old teacher, she was much better at it than I am," explained Naruto. He was being sincere too; his level of control was nowhere near as good as Akeginu's.

"What else can it do?" Yūgao asked. Naruto could almost hear the gears turning in her head. No doubt she was already thinking about the various tactical applications of the technique.

"Theoretically… anything. The technique is essentially fluid control. It allows me to manipulate my blood, almost like you would with any form nature manipulation. It's only really limited by the amount of blood in my body and my control," explained Naruto.

Admittedly, it wasn't a very accurate analogy. If you went about trying nature manipulation exercises with your own blood you'd probably fail miserably. Blood projection was a secret technique for a reason, the technique involved no chakra usage.

"Kakashi-san was under the impression that you used a genjutsu as well," said Yūgao.

Naruto paused for a moment, it seemed Kakashi saw more than he originally thought. While he could lie and say no, there was little point in deceiving her. He may very well have to use his Red Mirage in Yūgao's presence sometime in the future, and getting caught out in a lie would be very…inconvenient.

"Kakashi's right, I'm capable of using a wide spread area of effect genjutsu in collaboration with the mist, and yes, I used that technique to defeat Zabuza," answered Naruto, anticipating Yūgao's next question.

"Hmm…back at the Fuzuki mansion you told me that you used scent as a medium for your genjutsu, is this the same thing?" Yūgao asked.

"In a manner of speaking," replied Naruto rather ambiguously. He was not prepared to give away all the mechanics of his Red Mirage, and was not even going to consider telling her and the old man where he got his genjutsu pheromone ability from.

Yūgao was about to ask another question, but the old man interrupted her. Naruto wondered if the man could sense his reticence.

"Very interesting Naruto, I'd like to know more, but it can wait for another time. I've heard all I need to hear from you today so you're dismissed . Come by tomorrow, and I'll have your bounty prepared for you once I get through all the damn paperwork."

_I wonder why he just doesn't use Kage Bunshin to manage the load of paperwork, it would make things much easier for him, _thought Naruto as he gave the old man a polite nod and turned to walk out the room.

Just before he left he turned to Yūgao, gave her a knowing smile and said, "I'll see you tomorrow then sensei."

* * *

_Shit. _

Yūgao cursed silently to herself as Naruto left the room. She was uncomfortable enough with the situation without her apprentice knowing that she was reporting on him to her boss.

_What a mess. It's no wonder he's holding things back from me._

As much as disliked what she was doing, orders were orders, and she was first and foremost a Konoha ninja. If the Hokage wanted her to report and investigate Naruto then she would do it, no matter what her own personal feelings where on the matter. Her professionalism was one of the reasons the Hokage picked her to be Naruto's sensei in the first place.

Well, at least she hopes it was.

Rationally, she knew Naruto was a security risk, there were just too many unknown surrounding him at the moment.

_Security risk. _She hated thinking about him like that. Was this how the Hokage felt when he started suspecting Orochimaru?

She stopped that thought in its tracks. What was she thinking? Comparing Naruto to that monster. Naruto just had an unknown past, he was not suspected of conducting inhumane experiments on children.

Fortunately, the Hokage saved Yūgao from chiding herself any further.

"Report Yūgao-san, what are you observations so far?"

Yūgao took a moment to collect herself before quickly going over everything she had observed the last two months. She left out her most recent conversation with Naruto. Without testimony from Naruto or a positive identification from Kurenai it was just be considered unverified suspicions on her part.

The entire debrief took about half an hour.

"And what conclusions have you arrived at?" The Hokage asked after her debriefing had finished.

"At the moment there is insufficient evidence to make a conclusion Hokage-sama," replied Yūgao.

The Hokage gave her a knowing look. "And off the record, what is your personal view?"

"It's likely that he's _not _loyal to Konoha Hokage-sama. To put it simply, he's loyal to himself. It's common sense really, why would he be loyal to the village after all he's been through here."

It didn't take someone as observant as Yūgao to notice the pained look in the Hokage eyes.

Quickly moving on she made sure to point out that Naruto was not an enemy.

"That's not to say he is hostile to us Hokage-sama, there's no evidence to suggest that he has connections with other villages."

The Hokage let out a resigned sigh, "What action you recommend Yūgao? You probably know him better than I do now."

The Hokage didn't try to hide his disappointment with that last remark. He truly was upset with the way things had turned out. Naruto had literally disappeared for an entire decade, and everyone had been none the wiser.

"Continued close observation. As I said Hokage-sama, I don't believe he's working for another village. We just need to give him a reason to protect Konoha beyond that of a pay check. I have no doubt that Naruto can make connections here, but it's a two party process. The village needs to give him that opportunity first, otherwise it's likely he will never open up or at worst will eventually just leave."

"I agree completely," said the Hokage after a moments thought. "Anything further on this Akeginu person?"

"Nothing Hokage-sama. Naruto references her infrequently. I can only conclude that she is…was… extremely competent and that Naruto respected her greatly," replied Yūgao.

If Yūgao was being honest with herself she was a little jealous at the dead woman.

"Anything else?" The Hokage asked.

"Just that…"

"What?: The Hokage asked seriously.

"On more than one occasion I found myself in the company of one of his shadow clones instead of the real him. Naruto mustn't know it, but his clones act quite a bit differently."

"What did you mean they 'act differently'?"

"They're...um…they're idiots Hokage-sama. I picked up on it a few weeks ago."

"Idiots?"

"Yes, they have his skills, but their personalities are more child like and far more simple minded," replied Yūgao

"Interesting. I've never heard of such a phenomenon, unless it's intentional," posited the Hokage.

"Um…I have no idea. I could broach the subject with him."

"Yes, please do so at your own leisure," instructed the Hokage.

"Yes Hokage-sama. Is there anything else?"

"What level would you rate Naruto?"

"Before Wave I would have said low jōnin, or tokubetsu jōnin. But, after seeing him take down Zabuza without even getting a scratch, well, I could only guess at his strength. It's become increasingly clear that I only have a limited idea of his skill set. At worst he's as good as me, but considering that he seems to be pulling out new techniques whenever he needs them, I think we can conclude that he's got a lot more to show. He just hasn't been put in a situation where he has been required to use them."

"The Council will start asking questions about this," said the Hokage.

"The Kyūbi?"

"Yes and no. More than a few will think his jump in strength is a result of the Kyūbi's interference —"

"But, there's no evidence to support such a claim! He uses Genjutsu for Kami's sake, everything he does is about control not large displays of power."

"I know…I know, that's why it unlikely that any will raise it formally, at least not without any actual evidence. However the reality of the situation is that the more influential members of the council will likely put forward the notion in private as well as certain other circles just to manipulate things towards their own end."

"So they'll use Naruto for the own purposes?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it," said the Hokage firmly."But, I've been dealing with such things my entire tenure. Some members of the Council aren't above startling rumors for the own purposes. Since Naruto is disliked by the civilian population they will likely use his strength or rather fear of his strength to garner support."

Yugao clutched her hand in anger, as if Naruto didn't have enough problems. It seemed Naruto wasn't far off when he told her his doubts about the people of Konoha.

She also had serious doubts about the Hokage's ability to protect Naruto from three particular members. She had sat in on a number of Council meetings as a guard during her ANBU days, and from what she could recall the council elders and Shimura Danzo had little problem maneuvering the Hokage to get what they wanted. It didn't help that the Hokage seemed reluctant to exercise his full power.

"I take it you will be recommending him for promotion?" The Hokage asked, suddenly changing topic.

"Yes, even though there are still a lot of unknowns about his past, his skill and more importantly his temperament are that of a jōnin. It would be a waste to keep him as a genin and it would only reinforce the fact that he's discriminated against here if he sees people far less skilled than him being promoted ahead of him."

She didn't add that she hoped by exposing his skills to more of the shinobi population he would able to garner some of the respect he deserved. Though she could help but think back to Naruto's belief that it wouldn't matter, they would still think of him as the Kyūbi holder and nothing more. This conversation with the Hokage only reinforced that.

The Hokage opened his draw and removed a sheet of paper. "I agree. Here's the form for the chūnin exams. I'm looking forward to seeing his skills in person."

"I'm not sure you'll get to see much Hokage-sama. It took a high A rank missing nin for him to show us that blood mist. I doubt we'll see anymore than his kenjutsu and genjutsu combinations. "

"You never know, perhaps we'll be surprised. There may be someone present this year who can match Naruto."

* * *

Hiruzen let out a tired breath as Uzuki Yūgao left the room. He had made the right choice in putting Naruto in her care. The woman was one of his brightest and most talented ANBU operatives, but more importantly, she had no personal bias against Naruto — a rare quality in Konoha.

Truthfully, if he were dealing with anyone else other than Naruto he would have called in Inoichi by now. Not because of Naruto's supposed lack of loyalty. Hiruzen wasn't naive enough to believe that all nin under his command possessed the will of fire. One only had to look at the current crop of graduates. If asked why they wanted to become ninja several amongst that group would cite Uchiha Sasuke as their reason.

Naruto had made his intentions clear, he joined the leaf shinobi corps to become a stronger ninja and gain experience. What more could he really ask?

No, the main concern was the time Naruto was unaccounted for, and the identity of his teacher. Due diligence dictated that he get to the bottom of that mystery one way or the other.

The problem was, Naruto was not just anybody. He was the host of the Kyūbi. He had no idea what he would be exposing Inoichi to if he allowed him to use the Yamanaka mind transfer jutsu on Naruto. Furthermore, such action would destroy what little trust was left between Naruto and him.

_Where the hell is Jiraiya? I sent for him months ago when Naruto dealt with Mizuki. If anyone can get to the bottom of this issue, it's him._

Fortunately, right now the situation was manageable. Naruto was completely missions for the villages at an exemplary level. Provided there were no unwanted interferences the situation could only improve.

_Speaking of unwanted interferences, I'm going to have to watch Danzo like a hawk._

* * *

Akeginu threw her arm across her body in anger, forcing a thin sliver of blood out from her wrist. The blood hardened, taking on the shape of a thick rope before Akeginu took hold of it and cracked it like a whip across Naruto's training dummy.

It severed the training device in two.

Akeginu let out a frustrated breath and looked at the carnage she had wrought. The courtyard was a mess; the majority of Naruto training dummies lay in pieces across the floor.

_It seems I've made a bit of a mess here. Naruto-kun might be a bit upset with me._

She ran her hands through of her midnight black hair as calmed down; she was feeling a little better now. The last time she lost control like that she got herself killed.

_You'd think I would have learned my lesson by now, _Akeginu thought herself.

She had been in a bad mood ever since she'd left Naruto's presence in Wave Country, and it had reached boiling point once she had returned to the ruins.

_You knew this was going to happen eventually, get a grip woman, _Akeginu chided herself.

Seeing Naruto and the mute woman —she refused to call her by her name— had been confronting for her to say the least. It shouldn't have been, but somehow it was and that had surprised her. She knew he would take lover eventually, she understood it logically — Naruto was a boy, no, he was a man now, he would be having sex with other women. It was natural. Even from a practical standpoint such action was necessary from the rebuilding of his clans.

But knowing all that and being slapped in the face with that are two different things. Walking in on him having sex with that woman had brought up a rush of unwelcome emotions. She had let such emotions interfere with her work before and it had cost her dearly. **(2)**

_How did this happen? __  
_

At first she had taken care of Naruto because he had inexplicably reminded her of Oboro. It was the eyes. They may have been different colours, but they had that same brightness to them, like they could chase away the darkness of her world . It made her want to correct her past mistakes, and it had all made sense when she discovered that he had the mystic eyes. Following that, their relationship could be described in many ways: student and teacher, veteran and novice, family…

_When did it change? _She wondered.

Akeginu was lying to herself. She knew exactly when it changed. It changed the moment she started viewing him as an equal. The moment she stepped back from being his sensei, and let him take the lead.

She resolved not to burden Naruto with her issues. He didn't need a dead women pining after him. He shouldn't have to worry about hurting her, it was a distraction he didn't need. She was there to assist him in any many he required, and in this instance what was needed was for her to take a step back and let Naruto move forward with his life. She knew all that, she knew what action she needed to take, but it didn't stop it from hurting.

She could actually feel some tears running down her cheek.

_Look at me, I'm a mess, _Akeginu thought to herself as she brushed the tears off her face.

_I can't even remember the last time I cried._

As if on cue, the source of her concern appeared in front of her using that high speed movement trick of his.

She brushed the last tear out of her eye, Naruto didn't need to see that. She needed to present herself as if nothing was wrong.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked as soon as he saw her.

She failed miserably.

_He sees straight through me._

"N-nothing Naruto," replied Akeginu. She almost winced when she stuttered. Such behavior was unacceptable.

"Really?"

_I need to control this before it gets any worse._

She gave Naruto what he had come to call her 'scary smile'. The one she used when she would punish him when he was younger.

Naruto took a step back as soon as he saw it.

_Fufu, I trained him well._

"Nothing is wrong Naruto," Akeginu said in an even tone. Her 'smile' becoming even more pronounced.

Naruto looked at her uncomfortably before looking away, "Whatever you say."

"As always you have good timing Naruto, let's spar," said Akeginu.

"Ah…okay," said Naruto, obviously a bit taken aback by her abrupt change in mood.

She decided that she would 'burden' him a little, if only to relieve some pent up frustration.

* * *

"Owe," moaned Naruto as he pulled himself up of the ground. He was sporting several large gashes on his chest, and his arm was out of place.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto asked Akeginu who was standing across from him looking no worse for wear. She didn't have so much as a hair out of place.

_I've got to find out how she does that, _thought Naruto as he observed his sensei's flawless appearance. It looked like beating the crap out of him had calmed her down. He didn't know what was wrong with her earlier. She had been very angry, and he was pretty sure that her anger had been directed at him. The laundry list of injuries he now had was strong evidence of that.

"What do you mean?" Akeginu asked. She had a smile on her face. Not the evil, sadistic one she was wearing earlier, this one was the one she wore when she was teasing him — She new exactly what he meant.

"Don't you play innocent with me. What was that technique?" Naruto asked again. A little bit of frustration edged it way into his tone.

"Oh, you'll have to be a bit more specific Naruto?" Akeginu asked as she looked down at him with amusement. She had her delicate hands over her mouth as if to stifle a giggle.

Naruto twitched; she knew damn well what technique he was talking about.

"I'm talking about the one with the blood and the cutting —and I'm pretty sure your kimono stabbed me," said an exasperated Naruto.

"My, what are you suggesting Naruto?"

Akeginu's eyes were now literally glowing with mirth. All traces of her earlier frustration had vanished.

"You've been holding out on me," Naruto stated in a flat tone.

"I don't what you're talking about."

"Uh huh," Naruto deadpanned. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

Akeginu gave him a suggestive smile that he couldn't decipher. .

"There's always something more to learn Naruto."

Naruto translated that as, 'You've still got a long way to go.'

"I don't suppose I'll be learning that anytime soon?" Naruto asked.

"Mm… I don't think so. You've still got plenty of other stuff to work on."

Naruto let out a sigh and conceded the point. It wasn't exactly surprising that Akeginu's blood projection was vastly more advanced than his —she certainly had enough time to work on it.

"If you say so. Do mind putting my shoulder back in place? You kind of dislocated it when you threw me face first into the concrete."

"Oh, and why isn't your kitsune friend fixing it? I mean, that is her job right? To keep you healthy."

'_**Grrrrrrrrrr'**_

"No," said Naruto, ignoring Kurama's growling. "While she can re-nit broken bones or even grow new ones, she can't manipulate my arm so the bones goes back in the socket….So are you going to help me or not?"

Akeginu rolled her eyes, and grabbed his arm, "Hold still."

"Argh!"

"Quit being a baby. I think we need to work on your taijutsu if you're still getting caught by those kind of throws."

"I suppose I should brush up on it. There's always the off chance I would need it if my katana broke and all my ebon ropes suddenly disappeared," said Naruto with more than a little sarcasm.

Akeginu raised one perfectly sculptured eyebrow in amusement. "Taijutsu's important Naruto, if for nothing more than knowing a few non lethal takedowns."

"I'm way ahead of you sensei. I'm working on channeling lightning chakra into my ebon ropes so I can shock people into unconsciousness."

"Naruto…I've seen those overcharged lighting ropes of yours. I hate to tell you, but if you use that on someone you won't get a shock, you'll get fried human."

"That's a completely different technique!"

Naruto defended his overcharged lighting ropes, they were still a work in progress.

"Uh huh, I still don't know why you're doing that."

"More offensive power," answered Naruto.

"Because cutting armies to pieces and buildings in half with a mere wave of your hand wasn't enough for you?"

"Exactly."

Akeginu just sighed, "Don't you have other things to be working on rather than trying to redefine the word overkill?

"Says the women whose blood can decapitate people."

"When did you start talking back to me?" Akeginu asked.

"You're not my sensei anymore, you're my…partner."

"Partner?"

"Yep, partner."

"I like the sound of that," said Akeginu with what Naruto suspected was …glee?

_Weird, _thought Naruto.

Akeginu had been acting awfully strange lately, but rather than wasting important brain power by thinking any further on it, Naruto decided to let the emotionally unstable psycho be and get some rest. Her mood swings were starting to give him a headache.

* * *

"Damn it, where is he?" Yūgao complained as she entered the Jōnin Standby Station. She dropped down on the lounge with a loud huff. She was exhausted, not physically of course, but mentally. She had just spent the last two hours looking for her wayward apprentice, but had seen no sign of him. It was like he had just disappeared.

_How does he do that? _She wondered. It wasn't the first time she had trouble locating him. In fact, unless they had a prearranged appointment he was next to impossible to find.

Earlier, she had gone looking for her wayward apprentice to see if he wanted to have dinner with her. A celebration of sorts, after all, it wasn't everyday you simultaneously completed two A rank missions.

However, her apprentice had vanished like a ghost. She had tried his apartment, if you wanted to call it that. 'Death trap' was the more apt term in her opinion. Her student lived in literally the worst district in Konoha, but that wasn't what concerned her…at least not right at this moment. No the reason she called the place a death trap was the numerous lethal booby-trap littered around the apartment. It turned out that Naruto didn't bother locking doors, she soon found out why. Anyone entering that place would quickly die in agony. Seriously, where did he even find that much acid? And how the hell did he get that giant boulder through the doorway?

Naruto was an enigma. Everything her apprentice did confounded her. It was frustrating too, for every new thing she discovered about him another unknown would appear. He was a mystery, one that she had every intention of solving.

"Is it true?" A voice to her left asked.

Yūgao was brought out of her musing by the question and looked up to find the scared visage of Ibiki standing before her.

"Is what true?" Yūgao asked as she turned her attention to the head of interrogation.

"Did Uzumaki kill Rokushō Aoi?"

_Can't anybody keep a secret around here, _thought Yugao to herself, completely ignoring the fact that it was she who blabbed in the first place.

"Yes," Yūgao replied.

Ibiki grunted. "Impressive. First Mizuki and then Aoi."

_You can add Momoichi Zabuza to that list, _Yūgao thought. It was an impressive list, especially for a genin who was only a couple of months graduated from the academy.

"Where'd the kid get those kind of skills?"

Yūgao read between the lines— 'they don't teach that at the academy.'

She gave her colleague a shrug, "Don't know, all he's told me is that he learned them from an old family member."

Ibiki's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Dangerous, who knows what kind of things he was taught.

"It's certainly a concern," replied Yūgao. She would have to be wary about what she said regarding Naruto around Ibiki. The man was suspicious of everything, but it sort of came with the territory so she didn't hold it against him. The man was all right once you got to know him, if a little stand offish.

"Why hadn't the Hokage sent him to me?"

Yūgao gave the interrogator a serious look before replying coldly, "I doubt the Hokage wants to add to the already impressive list of missing nin from Konoha."

Ibiki gave her a level stare before grunting in agreement.

"Hey ya Yūgao, you back already?" Greeted Anko as she sauntered up to them.

"Yes Anko, we just got back," replied Yūgao.

"Oh. Did you and your mysterious apprentice enjoy yourselves?"

"We did pretty well," replied Yūgao.

"Ha. So you did enjoy yourselves. What would poor Hayate think if he heard that?"

Don't go there Anko," replied Yūgao. The jibe had hit a little to close to home for comfort. She realized she hadn't thought of her boyfriend once while away for the last two weeks. Even worse, she had just spent her first few hours back in Konoha looking to have dinner with Naruto rather than her boyfriend.

_Let's not read too much into that, _though Yugao a little uneasily.

* * *

The following morning Akeginu found Naruto sitting in the courtyard staring at the zanbatō he took from that man with no eyebrows in Wave Country.

She paused as she remembered the way she had acted yesterday when she had rather unceremoniously taken her frustrations out on Naruto. Despite her resolve not to burden Naruto with her feelings she had still let her anger at seeing him with another women influence her.

_Definitely not my finest moment._

She looked over to Naruto who now had one vibrant blue eye focused on her. He was probably wondering why the hell she was just standing there in silence.

_Right, that wasn't awkward at all, _she told herself sarcastically before walking over to her _former _student.

"You're not planning on using that thing are you?" Akeginu asked, hoping to distract Naruto from her recent odd behavior.

"Uh…no. I couldn't even begin to think about how to go about using the thing," replied Naruto as he turned his attention back to the sword.

Distraction successful.

"Then what are you going to do with it?" Akeginu wondered.

Unwieldy thought it was she could see that the blade was a fine piece of craftsmanship. It would be a shame for it to go to waste.

Naruto didn't answer her question directly, instead he said, "Look at this."

Naruto pulled out a kunai and channeled some of his wind power into it. He then ran it along the Zanbatō putting a deep scratch into it.

Akeginu looked on in awe. The sight was still novel to her despite the fact that she had seen the technique dozens of times over the course of Naruto's training.

_I would have loved to have this technique back when I was a ninja, perhaps things would have gone differently..._

Blood started seeping from Naruto's palm as he activated blood projection. To Akeginu's amazement the zanbatō started absorbing the blood straight from the air.

"What…"

"Wait for it," said Naruto.

She turned her attention back to the sword and was shocked to see the large gash in the steel being repaired.

"It's repairing itself," Akeginu said in disbelief.

"Yep. From what I can gather it's using the iron in the blood to repair itself," explained Naruto.

The sword continued to absorb the blood until it was in perfect condition, like it had never been used or had come straight from the forge.

"How is it doing that?" Akeginu asked.

"That's important question isn't it? One I plan on finding an answer to," said Naruto as he examined the blade intently.

"Why a Zanbatō?" Akeginu asked.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"Why a Zanbatō, and not a kodachi or katana? What makes it reform in that shape?"

"Good question. My first thought would be a seal, but I've examined the blade and there's not one on it, unless…"

"Unless what?"

"It's possible that a seal was used in the forging process, but I have little knowledge of how one would go about doing that."

"That's a shame."

"Yes, but I'll keep working at it. Perhaps in time I'll be able to re-engineer it in the form of a more practical weapon."

_It would be great if he could make a kodachi or a katana with the same properties. Too bad I know next to nothing about swordsmithing. _

"So, what's next?"

"I want to start investigating Danzo — due diligence and all that— but that may have to wait. The chūnin exams are coming up and there's a good chance that I'll be participating."

"So what…more training?" Akeginu asked.

"Improving my sensor abilities is my priority at the moment. We'll work for there. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Ah…I was impressed with what you did with my blood mist, so I think I can start you on the next level of the technique."

"Wait, there's levels? Since when?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"There's always been levels, now shush. Let me explain," said Akeginu in a matter of fact tone, completely ignoring disbelief. "You were correct yesterday when you pointed out that my Kimono stabbed you. You see Naruto, my kimono is actually made out of my own blood." **(3)**

"…"

Naruto just stared at her in disbelief before taking a closer look at her kimono.

"Oh my! Where are you looking Naruto-kun," teased Akeginu in mock embarrassment as she covered herself with her arms.

Akeginu was amused to see Naruto actually blushing. It had been a while since she managed that.

"I always thought that kimono looked a little tight on you," said Naruto after his blush had died down.

Akeginu smirked. This was new. Naruto never used to flirt back.

"Oh? I had no idea you were paying such close attention to my body Naruto-kun," replied Akeginu. She wasn't the master for nothing.

"So…do you actually have any underwear on under there?"

_Now that was bold,_ thought Akeginu. Little Naruto-kun had definitely grown up. Though she had already concluded that much when she found him buried to the hilt inside that mute woman.

"Don't tell me…Are you asking to have a look under my kimono Naruto-kun?"

"Tempting, but I'll pass…for now," replied Naruto. He was gazing at Akeginu with a look that she couldn't quite place. Was it interest or something else?

Admittedly, she was a bit disappointed when he didn't take her up on the offer.

_Can I even have sex in this form? _Wondered Akeginu, she had never really considered it before. I can touch him, I know that much from our sparing. Sex wouldn't be that different, would it?

"Um…does this mean I'll be dressing in red from now on?" Naruto asked, interrupting Akeginu's perverted thoughts.

_Did I just consider having sex with my student…I'm pretty sure I'm breaking some sort of taboo there, _thought Akeginu. Her resolve from the previous night had crumbled pretty quickly when faced with Naruto's flirting._ And he's only a novice..._

"You don't have to. The technique is just about having blood on hand, already materialized. It means that you don't have to secrete blood mid fight which can save you valuable seconds. You don't have to make all your clothes out of blood either, just enough to get a usable amount. You could also wear your regular clothes over the top, like I wear my golden sash around my kimono," explained Akeginu while pointing at her sash. "It's very handy and can get you out of a bind if you're ever caught walking around naked."

"Pff, like that's likely to happen…Do you make a habit of running around naked sensei?" **(4)**

* * *

_**1 week later**_

Deep beneath Konoha, within an underground network of tunnels were two figures deep in conversation. One was seated in an elevated platform overlooking a hall while the other kneeled before him.

"So, Uzumaki managed to finish off Momoichi Zabuza single handily. It seems we have greatly underestimated the boy," said Danzo after he had finished listening to Sai's report.

"Yes Danzo-sama. I tried tailing him afterwards, but he spotted me easily and confronted me. He…he moved faster than my eyes could follow and managed to get the jump on me. He also was able to spot the seal on my tongue."

That was interesting. Sai was one of his better operatives, much better than any of the genin currently running around Konoha, with the obvious exception of Uzumaki. Though it was logical that Uzumaki would be able to best Sai if he could dispose of Zabuza without sustaining injury.

It hadn't come as a total surprise. He had been aware of Uzumaki's skill since the boy had ruthlessly beaten and tortured Mizuki. The traitor had been scheduled for termination and Hyō, one of his Root operatives, had been present when Uzumaki caught him.

Danzo had known of Mizuki's allegiance to Orochimaru for years. Mizuki was there to spy on Uzumaki and the Uchiha, but once they graduated he had outlived his usefulness to the Snake Sannin. Orochimaru didn't really care about the scroll, the man already knew most of the kinjutsu from Konoha anyway. The Snake Sannin had set it up so that he would either end up with the scroll or one of his loose ends would be disposed of. Unfortunately for Orochimaru neither outcome had eventuated.

If the incident hadn't shown exactly how poor Konoha's security was Danzo would have found it amusing. Orochimaru always did have a preference for needlessly complicated machinations. Instead, Konoha had to rely on a genin to catch Mizuki, and Orochimaru's loose end was now stuck in prison, alive. Not that the fool knew anything of value.

He had been gathering information of Uzumaki from that moment onwards. To date he had been extremely displeased with what or rather what he hadn't discovered. There was literally no information on the boy. All his operatives had been able to discover was that the majority of the population despised the boy and that his grades were horrible. The latter was obviously a ruse; the standard at the academy was so low even the most incompetent of persons could pass. Given the change in appearance it was clear that Uzumaki spent absolutely no time there what so ever. In Danzo's view, that alone put him ahead of every other genin in Konoha, at least in terms of ability. His true loyalties still needed to be ascertained.

The boy's alienation from the rest of society had worked against them here. No one knew the boy intimately, even those considered close like Ichiraku Teuchi and his daughter knew nothing of consequence about the boy. If he didn't know better he would say the boy was a spy, he even reminded him a little of Kabuto.

At the very least, Hiruzen's idiotic decision to leave the boy victim to the uneducated masses hadn't backfired completely. He had been furious at the time, all that potential wasted. At least the boy had received training somewhere, he just needed to find out where. If the boy had been turned into a spy he would need to be mind wiped, he couldn't afford to terminate the boy and lose the Kyubi. Maybe then he could force Hiruzen to let him rebuild the boy.

The boy had the potential to be a valuable asset for the village, but also could be a huge threat. He would hold off from taking action until he confirmed which was more likely.

Caution. He would proceed with caution for now, an opportunity would present itself eventually and then he could make his move.

"Torune!"

A shadow detached from the wall and landed next to Sai. He had a plain white mask and was wearing a dark charcoal colored trench coat.

"Yes Danzo-sama?" Torune asked.

"I have a new assignment for you."

* * *

"So the Council wants to see little old me?" Naruto asked the ANBU operative.

He had been waiting for Yūgao at their standard training ground, but it looks like he wouldn't be getting any training this morning.

"Yes Uzumaki-san. Come with me."

The ANBU operative used shunshin to move them both to the hall outside the Council chambers.

"Wait here until summoned," instructed the ANBU.

While he was waiting Naruto went over what he knew about Konoha's government. Konoha was a military village, which meant that all power was situated in the seat of the Hokage, or at least on paper it was. Times had changed since the original founding constitution had been drafted. Although technically all decision making power began and ended with the Hokage, in reality that was no longer the case.

It was difficult to pinpoint when things changed. It was likely after the First Shinobi War during the Nidaime Hokage's reign. The fact was that Konoha was no longer just a military village, and although the village's primary income still came from payment rendered for ninja services, a significant portion of the population was now civilian.

No. The days of Konoha being a military dictatorship had long since past. Konoha was not like Kumo. There were now too many competing interests and agendas at play for the Hokage to possible address them all. So, the Hokage delegated. There was now a separate body set up solely to deal with civic and civilian matters. The civilians like to call it the civilian council; Naruto didn't think the shinobi cared what it was called. Whatever it's name, it only had a small amount of power, but it was a voice that the Hokage was forced to consider. Maybe not technically, but Naruto was sure the old man couldn't really afford to lose the support of the citizens.

On the other side of the fence there was the ninja equivalent. It dated back to the founding of the village where numerous significant clans who were allied to either the Senju or the Uchiha settled down in Konoha. Each clan obviously had their own priorities and wanted their own voice in Konha's government. Therefore the noble clans were allowed to sit in on the council meetings. In addition to that, space was provided for the current head of the Jōnin forces and the Intelligence division. In this case those positions were situated with the heads of the Nara clan and Yamanaka clan respectively. **(5)**

In saying all that, only three people really mattered – four if he counted Danzo. It was becoming increasingly apparent that the figure was a big player in leaf's political arena. The old man, and his two advisors were the ones who made all the decisions in Konoha. The others voices while relevant, were not as important.

Of course offending any of the clan heads would not be prudent. They had their own power, prestige and he was sure more than a few favours were owed to them by other members of the council. He wasn't sure exactly how they felt about them. Certainly none of them would be stupid enough to believe him to be Kurama, but they also likely viewed him as either a weapon or a as a bomb waiting to explode. Traditionally that was how all jinchūriki were perceived and he wouldn't get his hopes up thinking they would be any different.

In short, he needed to tread carefully. He didn't want to make enemies, but at the same time couldn't allow himself to be perceived as a pushover. It was a fine line to tread.

"Uzumaki, you may go in. They are ready for you," said the ANBU as he reappeared.

"Let's get this over with."

As he entered the large room Naruto eyes immediately made out Yūgao standing at the back. No doubt she had been questioned before him. They made eye contact and she gave him a strained smile.

The room was huge. Easily capable of fitting in several hundred people. As he made his way to the center he picked out the people present. Front and center was the Hokage with the two advisors: Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura.

To the left were the various heads of the Konoha shinobi clans. The Hyuga, Yamanaka, Nara, Aburame, Akimichi, and Inuzuka. There were also a few empty seats, likely for the absent Senju and Uchiha clan heads.

To the right were the civilians, or at least where they would have been if any had been present. At the moment, it was occupied by one individual. He had a bandage over his right eyes, and his right arm was also heavily bandaged.

_That must be Danzo._

He would be the only civilian with the necessary connection to know this meeting was on. Normally, the Council met once a month on a pre-scheduled day. That meeting was usually attended by both the 'civilian council' and the shinobi. However since was an unscheduled meeting — likely someone informed one of the elders about the results of the Wave mission — and a strictly shinobi matter, they hadn't been called, though they could attend if they wished.

"Hokage-sama, what is the meaning of this? This is not Uzumaki?" Asked the old hag sitting to the left of the old man.

"I think I know my own identity, obviously better than you do at least," said Naruto, clearly amused by her reaction. It seemed no one had informed Utatane Koharu of his 'change' in appearance.

"Boy, you will remain silent until spoken to," replied the old hag. Her tone revealed exactly what she thought of him.

Naruto refrained from rolling his eyes at her attempt at putting him in his place. From what Naruto could gather, she was from the old school of thought and obviously believed that he should have been raised as an obedient weapon.

"Hokage-sama," said Naruto using a respectful tone. It wasn't the right context to use his usual moniker for the old man. "Surely, you did not call me here discuss whether or not I am actually Uzumaki Naruto when a simple DNA test or glimpse at my stomach would suffice. I was that unaware people with my chakra levels were so common in Konoha."

The old man looked visibly amused by his remark and the Inuzuka head let out an abrupt laugh at his remark.

"You're correct Naruto," said the Hokage.

"But—"

"Enough Koharu. You wanted to discuss Naruto's abilities so get on with it before a call an end to this farce."

Naruto could tell there was not much love loss between the two.

The old hag collected herself, "Very well. Boy, we have concerns regarding your newly discovered abilities."

"Oh? They're hardly new. I've been practicing kenjutsu for around a decade now."

Naruto let an amuse smile grace his face as he watched the old hag twitch. He knew he was straying awfully close to the line here, but he was not going to let them walk all over him. Those days were long gone. He trusted the old man to pull him up if he became too disrespectful.

"Troublesome. Speak plainly woman. Uzumaki, we wish to know exactly where you learnt your techniques so as to ascertain whether or not you have been trained by hostile forces or a spy. The report provided to us stated you were trained by a woman named Akeginu," said the head of the Nara clan.

Naruto turned his attention to the man. He would have to tread carefully here. The head of the Nara clan was well known for his remarkable intelligence and would likely identify any inconsistencies in his story. The man to his left was also a concern. Yamanaka Inoichi was considered one of the best interrogators and sensors Konoha had ever produced. No doubt he would be able to tell if Naruto was lying.

"Correct. I met her ten years ago, and she trained me up until shortly before my graduation at the academy."

"What did your training entail?" Homura asked, speaking for the first time.

"Various fundamentals, kenjutsu obviously, and several more...unique techniques," answered Naruto.

"Unique technique? Such as?" Homura asked.

Naruto smiled at the attempt. It seemed that this guy was to play the more subtle role, as opposed to the old hag's bluntness.

"I have no intention of revealing my techniques to the public. No self-respecting ninja would," replied Naruto.

"Boy, this is the Konoha Council. If one of us asked you a question you answer it," said Koharu.

She was trying to intimidate him, that much was clear. She was failing. Naruto noticed the old man was looking at him with interest, no doubt observing how he reacted. He wondered if the whole display was an act to try and pressure him into releasing a few more details about his past.

"In that case, all my techniques fall under the category of secret techniques and are property of the Uzumaki clan. Unless you wish to set a precedent by which the Council will force clans to hand over their secret techniques? I doubt the members to my left would be terribly impressed with that."

Naruto also doubted the Hokage would have let be forced to reveal his techniques anyway but he lost little by standing up for himself.

"Damn right we wouldn't, the pup's right about that" said the Inuzuka clan head while flashing Naruto a grin. To Naruto's surprise it actually looked sincere.

"They are protected by that rule, your clan is not," said Koharu.

"Oh, and why is that?"

"One person does not make a clan."

"Interesting, are you stating that the Uchiha and Senju clans are no longer to be considered clans? I'm not sure Senju Tsuande and Uchiha Sasuke will agree," replied Naruto.

He was sure by now that this was just a set up. No council in a ninja village would force a ninja to reveal a technique, secret or otherwise. It would set too dangerous a precedent, and that last statement by the old hag had been completely unbelievable. The woman was trained by the Nidaime Hokage, she was not incompetent.

_Ah, they just wanted to see me answer the questions in person. No doubt Inoichi has been watching me very closely._

"If you really want me to, I could just claim them as originals. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one using them," continued Naruto, no longer really concerned. he doubted the Hokage would let it get much further.

"No that's fine Naruto," said the old man. It seemed he had seen enough. "Are there any further questions for Naruto?"

"Uzumaki, what village was your sensei associated with?" Asked Homura

"Unknown. If she had any allegiance to any hidden village she never informed me, nor did she wear nay headband or visible symbol, which would indicate where her loyalties lay. She is dead now anyway so I'll likely never know."

"And how did she die?" Homura asked.

"She was _very_ old," said Naruto. He was thanking kami that Akeginu was not in the room.

"I have no further questions," announced Homura as he relaxed back into his chair.

"Anyone else?" The old man asked. No one made any movements.

"Very well then, Naruto, Yugao-san. You are both dismissed."

* * *

Danzo narrowed his eyes as Uzumaki retreated from the room. He had remained silent for the entirety of the meeting; there was no need for him to speak. He had already instructed Koharu and Homura on what to say, he just wanted to observe.

Interestingly, Uzumaki had no reacted with anger at Koharu's blatant goading. Rather he seemed more amused than anything, like he could see straight through what she was attempting.

"Inoichi?" Hiruzen was asking the Yamanaka head for his views on Uzumaki.

"He was…difficult to read Hokage-sama. It's obvious that, he has been trained to control his emotions very well, but I believe he was telling the truth, though likely not the whole truth, which is further evidence that he has been trained in how to respond to interogations."

Danzo had arrived at the same conclusion. He would have to rectify that one way or another.

It seemed that Hiruzen agreed as well.

"Hiruzen, why do we not simply have him interrogated?" Koharu asked.

"Doing so would only alienate Naruto further. He already has little love for this village; I doubt a session in Ibiki would improve his opinion. "

Danzo agreed with that, though there were others, less crude methods to finding out what the boy knew, though Hiruzen would never resort to them. As per usually his old friend was taking a hands off approach to things. It hadn't really helped so far, and it likely wouldn't do anything to get them the answers they needed.

"Naruto will be participating in the chūnin exams, we'll get a better look at him there, for now we will watch closely."

They certainly would. The boy would complete a standard chūnin exam with ease, but fortunately this year was different. He would definitely get to see what the boy was capable of.

For now though, he needed to find some way to bring the boy under his control.

* * *

"You did well in there Naruto," said Yūgao as they exited the Hokage tower.

"Meh. It looks like they were just trying to pressure some information out of me.

"Yes, that's exactly what was going on, though it seems they shouldn't have bothered since it's obvious you've read the law books back to front," said a frowning Yūgao. Clearly she didn't like the Council's attempts to strongarm information out of him.

"Don't worry about it sensei," said Naruto.

"If you say so. Why don't you get some lunch Naruto. I'll meet you at the usual place in an hour, I've got something to discuss with you."

* * *

_**1 hour later**_

Naruto sat at the base of a tree waiting for Yūgao to show up. He let his senses spread out like a ripple in a body of still water.

Naruto paused as he sensed the two people approaching . One was Yūgao; he could pick her out of a crowd easily now. The other one was likely Hayate, though he couldn't say for sure. His ability to read chakra signatures still needed a lot of work.

Naruto had spent a great deal of time over the last week trying to improve his sensor abilities. While he was now adept at sensing people's chakra levels, the next step in the process was learning to read and recognise people's chakra signatures. It was slow work.

The best sensors could gleam much about an opponent using just their senses. Naruto, at the very least wanted to be able to identify a person's chakra signature, and if he could, their affinities as well. Any further progress would be a bonus. He was aware the best sensors could tell when a person was lying just by the fluctuations in their chakra.

The difficulty lay in learning those abilities. The problem was that in Konoha there was simply not a lot of material available for would be sensor. The reality was that most of the village's sensors came from clan's with bloodlines or ones that utilised secret techniques. There was a reason why the majority of the villages sensors were from the Hyuga, Inuzuka, Yamanaka and Abruame clans. Outside of those clans there were very few sensors in the village, or at least ones that he knew of.

_I'll have to ask Yūgao if there's anyone who can help me out._

Naruto's senses focused in on Yūgao as she made her way across the training ground. Her chakra levels were quite high by this village's standards. Nothing compared to his own or the old man's, but considerably more than Hayate and Kakashi whose reserves were distinctly average. Yūgao's chakra had an earthy tone to it. That's not to say that he could see it, his dojutsu was not designed to heighten perception to such a degree that it could perceive chakra. No, his sensors fed back information to him and his mind interpreted the information in a way that he could comprehend it. In this case his mind registered her chakra as brown, likely reflecting Yūgao's affinity for earth and fire.

It had taken him a good month before his sensors were able to perceive her chakra in that way. He had concluded that prolonged proximity to a ninja allowed him to recognise their affinity, he needed to shorten that process to seconds.

He still hadn't been able to recognise Hayate's chakra signature, but that was because he hadn't been using his sensor abilities around the man. He had better luck within Kakashi back in Wave. He had registered that man's chakra signature unusually quickly. For some reason his mind just interpreted his chakra signature as 'white'.

_My sensor abilities seem to be progressing usually fast, _thought Naruto. From what he had read sensory ninjutsu was one of the most difficult and hardest skills of ninjutsu, right up there with medical ninjutsu and genjutsu. It had taken him years to see this sort of progress with his genjutsu so why was he progressing so much faster?

"_**It's due to my presence," **_said Kurama.

_I haven't heard from you in a while._

"_**I dislike speaking unnecessarily as you humans are custom to do."**_

_Right…what did you mean, 'it's due to your presence'?_

"_**I thought I spoke plainly enough, my presence inside you is the reason why you are so adept at sensory ninjutsu."**_

_I meant, why does your presence make me a better sensor?_

"_**It's due to my nature. Yōkai are spiritual creatures, our senses extend far beyond the range of a regular human. Since I'm the most powerful of Yōkai, my senses are by far the sharpest. I'm capable of sensing any ill intent directed towards me from across the continent."**_

_Wow…will I be able do that?_

"_**No, you won't ever be that good," **_said Kurama, cutting him down just as he was getting his hopes up. She could be a real bitch some times.

"_**You know, I can hear those thoughts when you inner monologue like that."**_

She was a bit of a voyeur too, who didn't know the meaning of the word privacy, apparently.

"_**You're being rude."**_

He didn't want to think about what she was doing while he was having sex with Kiriko, probably mastur—

"_**Enough! You will not treat me like some pervert."**_

"…"

"…_**It gets boring in here."**_

_I knew it._

"..._**Anyway, while you will never be as good as I, you will have no problem mastering those inferior human sensor skills."**_

Naruto rolled his eyes at her casual display of arrogance, and turned his attention to Yūgao and Hayate who were now directly in front of him.

"Naruto," greeted Yūgao. She was looking at him oddly, probably wondering why he didn't acknowledge her presence until she was right in front of him.

"Kid (cough)," greeted Hayate.

"Yūgao-sensei," said Naruto as he pushed himself off the tree and face Yūgao.

"…"

"Hey! (cough) What about me?" asked an indignant Hayate.

"What about you?" Naruto replied, amused that he was able to get a reaction out of the tokubetsu jōnin.

"Little—"

"Be quiet Hayate," said Yūgao, interrupting her boyfriend. "Naruto, take this," said Yūgao as she handed him apiece of paper.

Naruto gave it a cursory glance, "The Chūnin exams, huh."

"Yes, you're more than ready for them," replied Yūgao.

"I'll be one of the (cough) proctors for the exam," said Hayate.

"Really?" Naruto asked sceptically.

Yūgao giggled at him while Hayate just gave him a glare.

"The majority of the other participants will be in standard teams of three, so you'll be at a disadvantage there," explained Yūgao.

"That's one way of looking at it," said Naruto. He figured not having his chances of success dependant upon two others who may or may not have the resolve or skills to pass was a good thing.

"True," replied Yūgao. "The first two parts of the test are designed to test teamwork. Since you are a one-man cell, you will be tested on your ability to survive on your own in a hostile environment." **(6)**

"Sounds reasonable."

"Good. The exams start next week."

"So (cough) kid, I think I'm (cough) good enough to move on to the next stage with Iaido (cough)," said Hayate.

Naruto was annoyed, "_Battōjutsu_, not Iaido."

"Whatever (cough)."

"I suppose we could start more advanced training. Do you want in on this sensei?"

Yūgao looked surprised, "You're going to show me your battōjutsu?"

Naruto shrugged, "Why not? See Hayate, sensei remembered the name, it can't be that hard to remember."

"Screw (cough) you."

"I show sensei the basics and then we can work on the art of countering with the draw," explained Naruto.

"Countering?"

"Yep. Technically, it comes from Iaijutsu, but my school of kenjutsu incorporates that as well. It's fundamentally the same technique; the difference lies in how you use it. Iaijutsu is all about countering. So, what we'll do is this: I'll attack you with a strike, and you counter it using your draw. Try and break through my attack by knocking my blade out of the way. If you do it right, you'll end up leaving me open for a follow up attack, and if your good enough , you can completely counter my attack by drawing faster than I can strike. It's all about timing."

"Isn't that like (cough) super dangerous?" Hayate asked.

"Na, it's perfectly safe."

* * *

"Owe!"

"Quit being a baby," scolded Yūgao as her boyfriend continued to complain while the medical nin healed the numerous sword cuts over his body. They were in the hospital having finished training early when Naruto cut open her boyfriend's chest, from hip to shoulder.

"The kid hates me," said Hayate between winces. The nurse was prodding one of the smaller gashes on his arm.

"He doesn't hate you. Naruto told me he considers you comic relief," replied Yugao.

"I (cough) think I'd rather him hate me (cough). You know (cough) I seriously think Naruto was trying to kill me today," said Hayate.

Yūgao shook her head; her boyfriend had no idea. "If Naruto wanted you dead, you would be dead. "

"Wait, (cough) you made that sound like you think he's (cough) better than me."

"He is better than you," Yūgao deadpanned. Naruto wasn't the one in hospital.

"Since (cough) when?"

"Um…I think that's always been the case," answered Yūgao completely ignoring the damage she was doing to her boyfriend's confidence. She wasn't even sure if she was better than Naruto. Could she have taken out Zabuza so easily? Likely not.

"That's (cough) depressing. Out done by a (cough) genin."

"Oh, you're just afraid I'll leave you for a younger, more skilled and better looking swordsmen," joked Yūgao. Or at least she thought it was a joke. Her boyfriend wouldn't be jealous of the talented youngster… right?

"Was (cough) that last part really necessary?"

Yūgao shrugged. It was the truth, Naruto was pretty good looking despite his pale complexion. Hayate…hmm, not as much.

"You and that (cough) gaki better not try any funny while your away on missions."

"…Well lets not rule anything out,"teased Yūgao, repeating Naruto's words from back in Wave Country.

* * *

Naruto made his way down one of the main streets of Konoha; Yūgao had given him the rest of the afternoon off for some reason. After leaving her to take Hayate to the hospital, Naruto was on his way to the shinobi library. He wanted to see if there was any material or records of past chūnin exams.

However, halfway to his destination his senses registered something unusual. It felt familiar, yet he couldn't place where or when he had ever experienced the sensation before.

_What is that? _Naruto wondered to himself as he quickly turned to pursue the sensation.

As he drew closer to the odd presence he got a better idea of what he was dealing with. Whatever it was it was erratic, fluctuating between extreme bloodlust and eerie calm in a matter of seconds.

_There!_

He had pinpointed the presence.

Stopping on a nearby roof Naruto looked down to see three unusual figures making their way along the street. He used the term 'unusual' because firstly, they were foreign nin. Their headbands indicated that they were from Suna. And secondly, the three stood out like a sore thumb amongst the civilians.

The first person was an attractive blonde woman carrying a fan so large Naruto wondered how it could be used practically in battle. _Maybe… wind manipulation? _

She looked to be a little older than him, perhaps eighteen or nineteen.

The second person was a young man dressed in black pyjamas, wearing maroon coloured makeup and carrying a large package on his back. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was. Suna was famous for three things: Being in the middle of a giant desert, futon manipulation, and puppetry. This weirdo was obviously a practitioner of Kugutsu.

The third person was by far the most interesting. He was short boy with spiky, auburn coloured hair. Oddly, he wore a giant gourd of all things on his back, and had the kanji for love tattooed on his forehead above his right eye. He also had black rings under his eyes. Naruto couldn't tell if they were makeup — a likely conclusion given his travelling companion — or if the boy suffered from a severe lack of sleep. Either way it made him look like a racoon. **(7)**

Any further observations were interrupted when Kurama suddenly roared in his head.

"_**How dare he! What does that that desert rat think he's doing in my territory!?"  
****(8)**  
_

The Kitsune sounded offended. Admittedly, not an uncommon occurrence, but this time she sounded really pissed.

"Desert rat?" Naruto asked inquisitively while trying not to wince at the echo that followed her yelling. He could definitely feel a migraine coming.

"_**Yes, desert rat," **_replied Kurama in an annoyed tone. "_**That idiot tanuki Shukaku – the Ichibi." **_

The disdain in her voice was obvious. There was defiantly no love lost between these two.

"_**Naruto, I demand you kill that jinchūriki." **_

That surprised him. She must have felt more strongly about this than he initially thought. He was less surpised by the presence of another jinchuriki. He knew they existed, and that he was bound to run into one eventually.

_Are you using up your favour Kurama?_

"…_**."**_

_I thought not. _

Naruto turned his attention from the enraged _yōkai _back to the red headed boy with the gourd.

_So he's Suna's jinchūriki. That must have been what I was feeling earlier._

"_**Of course it was. You don't think I would notice when my territory is being invaded?"**_

_So what's your problem with the Ichibi? _

"_**The fool once sought to challenge me as the strongest of Biju, if you can believe that. I know I certainly didn't. Really, one tail, he challenged me with one tail's worth of power. He might as well as had none at all for all the difference it would make. After I completely destroyed him I warned him that if he ever set foot in my presence again I would rip off that little tail of his."**_

_All right… Anything else?_

"_**Not really. He's a hack, for lack of a better word. Just look at what he's doing to that boy down there. You can practically see the bloodlust coming off him."**_

_What can he do? _

"_**Well, like most yōkai he has some shape-shifting abilities. Nothing too impressive, he lacks the necessary mental capacity to excel in the field. Like illusions, shape-shifting is all about finesse."**_

_Um…did you just call the Ichibi dumb?_

"_**He's never been the brightest of us. Far too aggressive and impatient to be a real threat to me."**_

_One day, you and me are going to have a long talk about all this Yokai stuff._

"_**Feel free to stop by whenever you want, you're always welcome."**_

Naruto rolled his eyes at her. Apparently Kurama now considered his mindscape her property.

_You said he had some shape-shifting abilities; will the jinchūriki be able to use them?_

"_**Unlikely, unless Shukaku takes full control of the human."**_

_And if he did, what could I expect? You never went over what your shape-shifting abilities entail._

" _**Urgh. Let's get this out of the way first. My shape-shifting abilities are vastly superior to that rat's. Shape-shifting is an art, and the Ichibi is by no definition a good artist. It is one thing to simply change your form, even you humans are capable of that."**_

_I gathered it was different from a basic henge._

"_**Yes. Your henge is only a superficial transformation. You change form, but you don't truly become what you change into."**_

Naruto understood. Henge was a relatively simple transformation, one that allowed a ninja to take a different shape. It did not change a person's composition. One could not change into a piece of granite just before being stabbed. **(9)**

_So the Ichibi's shadpe-shifitng is like a henge?_

"_**Not quite. He's certainly more limited than I am, but for you to truly understand I need to explain the art of shape-shifting in more detail. **_

_Okay._

"_**If you try to change into a form that is completely alien to you, than you will fail. It requires familiarity to properly change form, and even then, if you do not truly understand what you a shifting into then the transformation won't work. You'll end up losing your form, which I can tell you from experience it is not pleasant. Even then, most transformations are only superficial… much like your henge, just an imitation. If you want to truly become something else you need to understand it every way, down to a cellular level."**_

_Sounds hard._

"_**Extremely. It takes centuries for a yōkai to learn true shape-shifting, and even then few master it. It can take years to learn a new form. Few have the patience, certainly not someone as aggressive and simple minded as Shukaku."**_

_I take it that you are a master?_

"_**I'm THE master. Most shape-shifters are only capable of transforming into a few forms. I'm limitless. I've even achieved the very pinnacle of shape-shifting —transforming into creatures that exist only in the realm of imagination."**_

_Impressive, but what can I expect from the Ichibi?_

"_**Sand."**_

_Sand?"_

"_**Yes. He only knows a few forms and rarely relies on shape shifting for combat. Once upon a time Shukaku favoured powerful wind attacks, but after I almost ended his existence he grew paranoid about this own protection and learnt how to use his very environment to protect himself. He lives in a desert, so yes …expect sand. What do you think is contained within that gourd."**_

_Sand huh. At least their presence will make these exams interesting, _thought Naruto as he disappeared just as the red haired boy turned to look at where he just been.

* * *

_**Foot Notes**_

_**(1) **Seriously, it's like their specialty._

_**(2) **For those who haven't read Basilisk (I recommend you do), Akeginu had feelings for a fellow Iga ninja. Let's just say those feelings were used against her to lethal effect by a certain someone we will be seeing later on in the fic. _

_**(3) **This is an ability of Akeginu's in the novels, but if memory serves it was never showcased in the manga or anime._

_**(4) **Those who have read Basilisk will probably realize that I'm lamp-shading a certain technique that Naruto will be learning in the future._

_**(5) **I'm not sure if Ibiki or Inoichi is actually head of intelligence in canon, but in my fic Ibiki is head of torture and interrogation a subdivision of Intelligence._

_**(6) **Despite what Kakashi says, there is no evidence to suggest all three team members must participate. There would be many occasions where there would be two person cells participating because one team member had already been promoted (eg. Shikimaru, Kakashi) or where one had been killed._

_**(7) **Naruto has not met Konohamaru in this fic (at least not yet), so that incident with Sakura never happens._

_**(8) **I took some inspiration from the traditional Kitsune/Tanuki rivalry found in Japanese mythology. _

_**(9) **I think this is right. Henge…is not explain well (let's leave it at that) . There's enough evidence to show that it is not a genjutsu, and is indeed physical, but it can't be actual shapeshifting. You don't see anyone transforming into diamond and breaking swords with their fists in canon.  
_

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**So there we have it. **

**May main intent there was too introduce Danzo and the Council, they will be relevant for an arc post chunin exams. I also wanted to work on characterization. You can get away with a lot if you have likeable characters, so I'm more than willing to spend many words giving them more depth and less one dimensional. **

**I had a lot of trouble writing Akeginu's passages for this chapter. The difficulty when writing from more than one perspective is to make each view seem unique. It is very difficult to do, and it's still very much a work in progress. As the fic progresses and I understand the characters better I'll likely be able to improve on this aspect but for now it''s a bit hit and miss.  
**

**Part of the difficulty with Akeginu's passages was that her perspective has changed. before she was Naruto's teacher. It was relatively simple to write from her view, but now I'm trying to change it to show her increasing attraction to Naruto. It's not easy (i'm trying not to be too heavy handed with it).**

**I also want to have a go rewriting the initial council meeting. I think it was also a bit hit and miss, but it was serviceable for now. I want to move on with the story (rather than just stare at a computer screen for hours on end. I'm sure writers out there no what I'm talking about).**

**Anyway, tune in next chapter for the exams. I plan on writing up to the end of the preliminaries. Be aware that I also start session for uni so my writing time will be severely decreased (i.e. there may be a wait).**


	15. Chapter 15 - War Games

_**Chapter 15: War Games**_

_**Hey folks! Tibo's back, for another installment of Iga Naruto.**_

_**Sorry for the long delay. I've been fairly busy at uni, but as recompense, here's my longest chapter yet (by quite some margin).**_

_**My approach for the chūnin exams was different from Wave. I couldn't really justify Naruto being anywhere near as active, covert or otherwise. So don't go into this expecting Naruto to be slaughtering genin left right and centre, because he won't. I've kept him relatively passive so events will flow much as they did in canon.**_

_**The main difference from canon comes in the shift in perspective. Naruto is not on Team 7 here. I actually went and re-read the chūnin exam arc while writing this (aside: I forgot how unlikeable Naruto was as a character). My aim was to show off the arc from my Naruto's perspective. So we have his thoughts on the tests, the competition, and we see how he conducts himself over the course of the exam.**_

_**Anyway, let's get to it. Here are some responses to reviews (there's spoilers here so if you don't like them, skip down to the start of the chapter):**_

_**Mystic eyes/limits: **__see my profile._

_**Tsuande/ Jiraiya: **__Their relationships will obviously be a bit different than canon. Not hostile, more like a change in dynamics. I can't see Iga Naruto reminding Tsuande of her little brother here, though I'd like them to have a strong relationship — after a little early tension. With Jiraiya, Naruto will not be his apprentice. I don't plan on him wasting three years learning nothing in this fic._

_**Rasengan: **__No. It's obviously very powerful in canon, but that's because Naruto had the motivation to improve it (since it's the only offensive ninjutsu he actually knows). I can't see my Naruto putting the same amount of effort into developing the variations when he has so many other weapons available. Plus, my Naruto is more of a precision/finesse fighter._

_**Gaara: **__He's my favourite character in canon. I plan for Gaara and Naruto having significant interaction in this fic. Needless to say there will not be any punch equals heel face turn/ 360 degree change in perspective here. I'll try and make it more believable, if I can. It's a good opportunity for character development with Naruto as well._

_**Kyūbi/Naruto: **__Their relationship will improve, but I don't plan on her doing a heel turn and changing immediately. She's only been in contact with Naruto for six months, I won't be changing her that quickly. It wouldn't be believable. As I've said before they'll get along better once their goals align. Romance? Likely not at this stage, though it depends entirely on how she develops. It's just to early on for me to say so with any degree of certainty anyway._

_**Danzo: **__He won't be a recurring villain for the entire trilogy. He will however, be a relevant villain over the Part 1 and parts of Part 2 (at least in the plan in my head). As I've said before, he will be relevant to Naruto here. Naruto can't really do his own thing with Danzo chasing him around. Danzo's connected to a lot of stuff as well (Orochimaru, Obito, Akatsuki). So, he's a good metaphorical rabbit hole. Naruto can find out a lot by taking him down and going through his stuff._

_**Naruto's female relationships (Castage's Q)**__: Naruto being able to extrapolate info about Danzo's practices is more a result of logical reasoning based on his own theoretical knowledge about emotions (and manipulating them). He doesn't have much actual experience with emotions himself. You could say he is distorted, though nowhere near the degree Sai or Gaara are. His distortion manifests in distrust and general scepticism of people (though much of that is quite healthy considering his profession). He protects himself by keeping people at arms length (Akeginu being the only exception). It's no coincidence that the first time he uses his own agency to extend trust (not including Akeginu), it's to someone who was a victim as well (Kiriko)._

_This affects his romantic relationships because it means he'll tend to view any feminine interest in him through a tainted lens piece. If Yūgao were to come on to him, he'd probably think she had been ordered to seduce him — same case with most kunoichi._

_Akeginu is the exception to all this since he actually trusts her. But she has her own issues in regard to Naruto , and is generally quite good at controlling her emotions (last chapter was obviously the exception to the rule). She won't be making it too obvious. Anyway, it'll take a bit of a shift in perspective for Naruto to actually consider her an option for romance, considering that she's both his sensei and dead._

* * *

**[Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Basilisk]**

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep!_

"Ugh," moaned Yūgao as she blindly reached for her alarm clock, knocking over almost every item on her bedside table in the process. She winced at the sound of her mildly priced lamp crashing to the floor.

_Fuck._

That mess would be rudely waiting around for her to clean up later.

Finally, she located the damn clock, and with a smack, turned the alarm off. Holding the infernal device up to her face, she opened one tired eye and stared in resignation at the glowing digits in front of her.

_5:00am…damn. Time to get up._

With an audible groan she kicked off her sheets and sat up in bed. A quick glance at her window revealed it to still be dark outside.

_This is all Naruto's fault. I thought my days of getting up at the crack of dawn were over when I left ANBU, _thought Yūgao as she rubbed some sleep out of her eyes.

She was never much of a morning person.

With a yawn she stretched out her arms above her head and arched her back in a cat like manner. The movement pulled her light blue singlet up above her hips, showcasing a flat stomach and a well-defined set of abdominal muscles. She prided herself on being the fittest woman in Konoha. She actually got assigned the operation code name 'Neko' because her ANBU commanding officer at the time commended her on her cat like grace and flexibility.

Pulling herself up out of bed, she took a step forward and promptly fell flat on her face. There was certainly nothing cat like about that.

"Owe... Smooth Yūgao, lucky no one was around to see that."

She looked down past her bare legs and glared at the offending item…

_Stupid pants._

Somehow, her treacherous blue trousers had wound themselves around her legs causing her to trip.

She let out an annoyed sigh; this one was Anko's fault.

Her irresponsible friend had dragged her around Konoha last night to celebrate her selection as a proctor for the chūnin exams. Why Anko had chosen the night before the actual exams to celebrate was beyond her?

_I suppose I'm partly to blame, I should have put my foot down. At least Hayate had the sense to go home early._

She loved the woman, but whoever made the decision to let Anko near children probably needed their head examined.

Yūgao didn't manage to get home to well after midnight. Exhausted, she ended up just throwing her clothes off, quickly changing and collapsing into a deep sleep.

Hindsight's a bitch, but right now she was just hoping none of her shuriken were lying on the floor.

It could have been worse though. If this were Naruto's apartment she would have fallen into some kind of bottomless death pit of doom by now.

Not that the thought of stumbling out of her apprentice's bed in the early hours of the morning had crossed her mind — It hadn't. Not even for a moment.

"Don't go there Yūgao, don't," Yūgao said to herself. **(1)**

Ignoring the implications of that stray thought, Yūgao untangled herself and cautiously made her way to the bathroom, careful not to step on any stray shuriken or kunai that may or may not have been lying on her bedroom floor.

Stumbling through the bathroom door, she flicked on the light, bathing the room in an unnatural brightness. She squinted, waiting for her eyes to adjust before looking at herself in the mirror. It wasn't a pretty sight. The bags under her eyes were a testament to last night activities, and her purple hair was, to put it lightly, was a mess. It looked like some sort of monstrosity only found in the deepest depths of the ocean. A slight exaggeration perhaps, but somehow, between the time she went to bed and the time she woke up, her hair had gone from perfectly straight to a hideous mess of purple nots and curls.

_I am definitely not a morning person._

Still, it wasn't all bad news. She had half an hour before she needed to meet up with Naruto, and she planned on spending the majority of that time in the comfort of her shower.

* * *

Yūgao — now freshly awake — made her way down the main street of Konoha towards the training ground where she had arranged to meet up with Naruto. It was only 5:30am, so the streets were bare, except for a few ninja who were finishing up their night shift and some vendors who were just starting to set up shop for the day ahead.

Or so she thought.

"GAI-SENSEI!"

_Oh no._

"Yes, Lee?"

Yūgao hoped she was just hearing things, but alas, a quick glance to the right confirmed her fears. There, walking straight towards her was Konoha's resident green eyesore, Maito Gai and what appeared to be a miniature clone of his. Well, that or a son she never knew he had.

_What did I do to deserve this?_

"I, Rock Lee, the Handsome Devil of the Hidden Leaf declare that I will pass the chūnin exams with flying colours or I'll do three thousand jump ropes and run five hundred laps around the village! **(2)**" Gai's son or clone, who was apparently named Rock Lee, declared.

"YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH ARE BURNING BRIGHTLY MY YOUTHFUL STUDENT!" Gai yelled, waking up half the neighbourhood in the process.

Yūgao let out a silent groan of despair_. It's too early in the morning to deal with this guy._

Maito Gai was … an acquired taste. An exemplary ninja to be sure, but his eccentricities could try one's patience like nothing else, and let's not forget his choice of clothes, the less said about that the better. In short, the guy was seriously weird, even by Konoha standards.

Gai seemed to finally notice Yūgao's presence, and greeted her with a typical display of energetic enthusiasm, "Ah, Yūgao-san. It is good to see you up early enjoying this youthful morning. Your flames of youth burn brightly indeed."

That's not quite how she saw it, but Gai was always like that so she didn't hold it against him. She certainly didn't consider reaching for her chokuto, and stabbing him in the face, that would be treason.

"Right…It's…good to see you too Gai-san." Her reply was understandably hesitant, but Gai didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he ignored her reticence. She never could work out if he was thick headed or just didn't care. Instead, he gave her a bright grin, showcasing his ridiculously white teeth that somehow seemed to shine brightly despite that lack of light.

"Gai-sensei?" Rock Lee asked. Gai's son or possible clone was probably wondering who the hell she was. Most of the greenest rookies wouldn't recognise her due to her being in ANBU until only recently.

"Lee, this shining example of youth is Uzuki Yūgao, the strongest kunoichi in the village."

Gai had taken to calling her that after they had sparred years back. She had lost… badly. It had been an eye opening experience. Say what you will about Gai, but he was the best close quarters combat practitioner in all of Konoha.

She had been able to keep pace with him despite the fact that he was both faster and stronger than her. Her economical kenjutsu style, and her ability to read her opponent's movements — a necessary skill for any kenjutsu user — had made them an even match…up until Gai threw off his weights.

Let's just say that she still had a long way to go.

"Yosh, one day I hope to shine just as brightly!" Lee screamed.

"What are you two doing up at this hour?" Yūgao asked — as if she didn't know.

"Training of course. My most youthful student and I just finished some light exercises in preparation for today's chūnin exams."

Yūgao had the feeling that Gai's interpretation of the word 'light' differed from most.

"Kurenai did tell me your team was competing," said Yūgao.

Gai quickly lost his smile and his expression changed to a more serious one at the mention of Kurenai. It always unnerved her how he could change from his unusual overstated self to completely serious so quickly. Sometimes it was like he had two separate persona.

"Yes, my eternal rival, Asuma-san and Kurenai-san have all entered their students in the exam this year. I …disagreed with their decision. I believe genin should have more experience before being exposed to the trials of the chūnin exams," said serious Gai.

Yūgao agreed, thinking back to her conversation with Kurenai on the same subject earlier in the week.

_**Flashback – five days ago**_

"_You're entering your team in the chūnin exams?"_

"_Yes, they're ready for it," replied Kurenai._

"_I don't know Nai-chan," said Anko, busy stuffing her mouth with dango._

_The three were having lunch at the dango bar, their usual hangout. Courtesy of Anko's dango addiction, they actually had a table reserved for them._

"_Are you sure that's a good idea? Just last week you told me that Hinata needed more confidence, and now you're nominating her for the chūnin exams" said Yūgao._

"_She does, but they work together well, better than the other genin team except maybe Gai's. I'm sure they will do fine. Shino and Kiba will protect her," Kurenai defended her team._

"_Pff, that Inuzuka's a horndog if ever I've seen one," snorted Anko, "He'll lose his head to the first competent kunoichi he runs into."_

"_I'll admit that Kiba is a little… rough around the edges," said Kurenai._

_Yūgao noticed her twitch as she said that. The Inuzuka had probably been caught checking her out._

"_But Kurenai, the third part of the exams always involves individual combat. If she's not ready she could get seriously hurt," said Yūgao. She still remembered how tough hers had been._

"_I've made up my mind on this you two," said Kurenai, closing any further debate on the subject._

"_I hope you know what you're doing," warned Yūgao. "Some of the other genin won't hesitate to kill."_

_**Flashback end**_

"I would have thought they would have waited until their genin were a little more experienced," said Yūgao. "I've seen Team 7 in action, they won't stand a much of chance against my apprentice."

Rookies in the chūnin exam, it was trouble no matter how you looked at it. Naruto was one of the rare exceptions. He had far more experience with higher-level missions than a typical genin. Naruto had performed exceptionally well during the various C, B and even A rank missions she had been on with him. She still remembered the severed head of Rokushō Aoi, how long Naruto had been performing high-level missions was anyone's guess.

_Note to self: Tell Naruto not to kill the other Konoha genin._

"Your apprentice?" Gai asked in confusion.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Yūgao asked, knowing full well that information on one Uzumaki Naruto was still scarce. Though that would be quickly changing. If members of the council hadn't already started gossiping then the Chūnin exams would blow away the last vestiges of Naruto's anonymity.

"I wasn't aware you were a jōnin-sensei now Yūgao-san. It seems your youthfulness is burning brighter than I originally thought."

"Er…thanks…I guess," replied Yūgao. What do you say to something like that anyway?

"Who is your apprentice Uzuki-sensei?" Lee asked.

"Uzumaki Naruto," replied Yūgao.

Gai's massive eyebrows rose at the mention of Naruto's name. For better or worse everyone knew Naruto's name.

"Naruto must have worked hard for you to recommend him so early Yūgao-san," said Gai. The silent question was there, after all Naruto was technically a rookie too.

"He is very talented. He just recently completed two A rank missions," replied Yūgao.

"Yosh, Naruto-san's flames of youth are burning brightly!" Screamed Lee.

"…Naruto is a kenjutsu user as well?" Gai asked.

It was unlikely Gai knew much about Naruto. Gai was always one to rely on first hand information and she doubted he paid much heed to the negative rumours surrounding her apprentice.

"Yes, he'll be the only Leaf genin with a katana. I suggest you keep an eye out for him."

"Yosh, Gai-sensei, I can feel it… the springtime of youth! I will train until I can match Naruto's youthfulness or I will do five hundred push-ups and do one hundred laps around Konoha while doing a handstand," declared Lee, before he charged of in the direction of Team Gai's assigned training ground.

"Burn on Lee, burn on!" Gai yelled, before turning to Yūgao and giving her his 'nice guy' pose, "I will see you later then Yūgao-san."

Before she could say goodbye herself, Gai charged off in pursuit of his clone or was it son? She forgot to ask.

"Okay…Naruto, yes, I need to find Naruto," said Yūgao, reminding herself of the very reason she was up this early in the first place.

_And make him pay for making me experience Gai so early in the morning._

* * *

"Naruto." Yūgao greeted her apprentice curtly on arrival. She was quite comfortable with taking her frustrations out on him. He was usually the source of most of them after all.

She gave Naruto a harsh glare. He was sitting down in the middle of their training ground not looking the least bit tired. It was infuriating.

"You're not suited to the mornings are you sensei?" Naruto asked. Translation: You look like shit.

She twitched at the wry smile he gave her. It was like he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"I don't consider it officially morning until the sun has risen," said Yūgao. In her opinion, humans were not nocturnal creatures. "So, why on earth was I forced to get up at this hour and deal with Maito Gai?"

She let a victorious smirk grace her face when Naruto winced at her reference to Gai. So, Naruto had a run in with Konoha's 'Sublime Green Beast' as well. She was feeling a little better know that she had managed to unsettle her extraordinarily calm apprentice, even if she had to resort to using Gai to do it.

"Ah…It was merely my intention to arrive earlier than the other competitors and observe them. You know the deal, I want to see who I'm dealing with," said Naruto.

_Stupid proactive Naruto._

Technically, the jōnin-sensei was supposed to meet with their team before they participated in the chūnin exams. It was just general protocol. Apparently Naruto knew this and was milking the rule for all it was worth.

"And this required us meeting four hours before the scheduled start of the test, why?" Yūgao asked in an annoyed tone.

Naruto gave her a nonchalant shrug. "Well, I really don't like to rush, and for some reason you said we had to meet before the exam started…so here we are."

Yūgao twitched. Then twitched again. Naruto was going to pay for this.

* * *

Naruto decided to leave Yūgao to her own business after he started sensing some mild killing intent directed at him. That woman must really like her sleep. Or perhaps it was Maito Gai. Seeing skin-tight green spandex at 5:30am in the morning was bound to ruffle anyone's feathers.

"So, what's the plan?" Akeginu asked. She had been waiting patiently in silence why Yūgao worked out whatever issues she was obviously dealing with.

"This will be a good opportunity to observe how the some of the foreign ninjas operate. The smaller villages are always looking to unseat, or pull one over on the major powers. I doubt they'll send anyone other than their best genin to this event," explained Naruto.

"You think they'll be better than the one's in this village?" Akeginu asked.

It was hard to say. He had observed the training of the academy through his shadow clones and agreed completely with Akeginu; the academy was a sub-standard training facility. Unless you belonged to a clan, you were being sent out into the field without the proper skills, and knowledge about what you were getting into. The Haruno girl was a prime example. Konoha's system relied heavily on the jōnin-sensei picking up the slack. Unfortunately, this meant that a genin's development, and consequently their survival, was linked to the competence of their jōnin-sensei, and there were large discrepancies in the quality of jōnin-sensei available. For every Yūgao, there was a Kakashi.

Naruto had no idea whether other villages used the same system. Somehow he doubted it. Konoha had grown complacent at the top. The smaller villages had desperation on their side. The threat of being exterminated or taken over by one of the bigger powers was certainly a strong motivation. They couldn't afford to produce sub-standard ninja.

"It wouldn't surprise me if the genin from the smaller villages are on a higher level," Naruto finally answered.

"Quality over quantity?"

"Something like that, " replied Naruto, "Then there's the Suna ninja."

"Suna…that's the village to the south east right? The one in the desert."

"Yes. It's considered the weakest of the five major villages, though that's a bit of a fallacy," Naruto explained. "In reality Kiri would probably be the weakest due to the civil war."

"That makes sense."

"Anyway," Naruto continued, "You can bet that Suna would only send their very best ninja to participate. Despite being allies, they won't miss a chance to upstage Konoha. These chūnin exams are all about attracting clients."

"Interesting, so these little war games are quite serious then," mused Akeginu.

"Mmhm. It's all about the money," said Naruto.

"I take it that these Suna ninja are the biggest threat then?" Akeginu asked.

"Likely, but I can't really say so without seeing the rest of the competitors in action. But…one of the Suna ninja is like me, he has a yōkai inside him," said Naruto.

Akeginu froze in mid stride, "What?"

"You heard me," said Naruto before continuing towards the academy.

"But…is this sort of thing common?" Akeginu asked, hurrying to catch up with Naruto.

He knew what she was getting at. It was an unlikely coincidence that he would meet someone exactly the same as him. Jinchūriki were not exactly common.

"No. Which makes the whole situation highly unusual. Jinchūriki are a village's most valuable asset, you don't send your most valuable asset to another village, allies or not. It begs the question; why did Suna send theirs here?"

"An attack?" Akeginu asked.

That would be a bold move. Did Suna have the manpower to do that successfully? Surely Konoha would have noticed if their neighbour was planning an attack. Preparations for war were hard to conceal.

"It's certainly suspicious, but it's too early on to make any accurate conclusions. We'll just have to wait and see," Naruto concluded. He really didn't know enough, yet.

"So, what do you plan on doing about this host?" Akeginu asked.

That was the big question. He took a moment to consider, what did he intend to do about the jinchūriki? He would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't curious about his fellow jinchūriki. Was the boy's life as bad as his? Worse?

That curiosity would need to be tempered though. It didn't take a genius to tell that the boy was dangerous, he was leaking killing intent all over the place. If he became a threat then he would need to die. But that option raised an entirely new set of issues.

What happened when a jinchūriki was killed? Did the Biju die as well? Somehow he doubted it. Would killing the jinchūriki release the Biju? That would be a disaster. He hoped for some input from Kurama here, but he received nothing. Maybe even she didn't know.

Considering all that, the way forward was pretty clear. He needed more information on the Suna jinchūriki. All he had so far were his initial observations and Kurama's explanation of the Ichibi's abilities. He had no idea to what extent the jinchūriki could utilise his Biju's abilities. That needed to be rectified.

"I'd like to find out the extent of his abilities," said Naruto to Akeginu, "I'm sure if we're patient enough the right opportunity will present itself."

Naruto cut the conversation short as they arrived at their destination: the Academy. He stepped forward and pushed the door open.

_Unlocked?_

He hadn't expected the building to be open at this hour. This meant that the examiners were already here.

_This is actually the first time I've been here personally, _though Naruto as he entered the building.

During his training Akeginu had been adamant that he not spend anytime here, so he'd had only experienced academy life through the detached experiences of shadow clones.

"What are you being tested on?" Akeginu asked as they made their way up the stairs. They were looking for room 301.

Naruto thought for a moment before responding, "I don't exactly know. Yūgao was unusually tight lipped about the subject."

Akeginu laughed at Naruto reference to Yūgao's loose tongue.

"But if I had to guess, I'd say they'd be testing ninja basics, likely under reasonably tough conditions," continued Naruto. They hadn't tested ninja basics at the academy, beyond the ability to perform the most basic of jutsu, taijutsu and shuriken jutsu exercises, so you'd think they'd at least test them here.

"Intelligence gathering then?"

"One would hope so," said Naruto. "Combat, is likely as well."

"They do like their direct confrontations," said Akeginu.

"Beyond that… it could be anything from infiltration to survival techniques," continued Naruto. He had done some research on past chūnin exams, but there wasn't much material available. It pretty much came down so showing the examiners that you were ready to take on more responsibility.

Naruto paused when he heard voices up ahead, voices he recognised.

_What are they doing here? _He wondered.

Naruto made a right and found Kotetsu and Izumo chatting away outside room 201.

_They must be examiners, but they're on the wrong floor?_

"What are you two up to?" Naruto asked as he walked up to the two chūnin.

"Huh…Naruto, what are you doing here so early?" Izumo asked.

"I could ask you the same question," Naruto replied.

"We're here for the chūnin exams," Kotetsu said.

"So am I. The exams are today right?" Naruto asked, feigning ignorance.

"Yeah, but they don't start to nine o'clock," Kotetsu pointed out.

Naruto shrugged, "So, I got here a bit early."

"A bit?" Kotetsu asked in disbelief. The man did have a point, not that Naruto was going to admit it anytime this century.

"I could ask you guys the same question. Did you guys get promoted to hall monitors or something?" Naruto asked, changing the topic. He waited in anticipation for the inevitable reaction he would from the two chūnin.

Kotetsu twitched angrily, "No!"

"We're examiners," Izumo answered. He was always the calmer of the two.

"Yeah," Kotetsu added unnecessarily.

"Oh?"

He had already arrived at that conclusion, but he was hoping to find out why they were here so early.

"We'll be helping out with the first part of the exam," explained Kotetsu.

"In the wrong room?" Naruto pointed to the sign above the doorway that read 201.

"Well…um…we're setting up a little test, to weed out the ones who shouldn't be here," explained Izumo

"And this test required you show up two and half hours early?" Naruto asked. He didn't really believe that.

"Ahhh — no. We had some other preparations to make as well," Izumo replied ambiguously.

"You might as well show him. He's gunna go on ahead anyway," Kotetsu said to his partner.

Izumo shrugged as if to say that he didn't really care, and made some hand seals that Naruto immediately recognised.

There was a quick shimmer, and the sign above the door, which read 201, was replaced with the numbers 301.

"Do people actually fall for that?" Naruto was a little sceptical, not because it was a C rank genjutsu, but because of the fact that they were clearly not on the third floor.

"You'd be surprised. Unless they're actually looking out for it, plenty of them won't notice. Plus, we've got something else up our sleeve to." Izumo seemed fairly confident the deception would work.

"The exam starts before you even get in the room. If they can't see through an E rank genjutsu, they're not ready for chūnin level missions," Kotetsu explained.

"Like guard duty," quipped Naruto.

"Ye—hey!" Yelled an indignant Kotetsu. "We're not on guard duty _that_ often. Besides village security is important."

Of course he knew that. He was well aware of how border security function in the village. It involved a bit more than just watching a gate.

"Yeah, you are," replied Naruto in a matter of fact tone. He struggled to remember a single time where he hadn't passed through the gates and seen the two chūnin on guard.

The idea of cutting down the competition before the exam even starts was a good one though.

_Why didn't I think of that?_

Naruto looked up and down the hallway as an idea formed in his mind. He decided to voice his idea to the two chūnin since they already had their own assignment; he doubted they would appreciate him interfering.

"You know…if you guys want, I could lace the hallway with a high level genjutsu that will render anyone who comes into contact with it unconscious," Naruto suggested.

"That sounds a bit too powerful," said Kotetsu.

"Meh," replied Naruto ambiguously.

"Yeah…it's not going to be much of an exam if you're the only one who turns up," Izumo added. "Where did you learn a genjutsu like that anyway?"

"Genjutsu's my speciality," Naruto replied.

"I thought Kenjutsu was your speciality?" Kotestu asked.

"Yeah, isn't that why you're training under Yūgao-san?" Izumo added.

"I can have more than one speciality," replied an annoyed Naruto.

"It's not really a speciality if you specialise in everything," Izumo pointed out.

"Yeah," Kotstsu added.

"Two things is _not_ everything," Naruto said firmly. This conversation was going nowhere fast. He was pretty sure the two chūnin were trying to annoy him. It was working too.

"So do you want me to cast the genjutsu or not?"

"Ah…no," replied Izumo.

"Yeah, we have our instructions. You'll have to wait to the exam to start messing with people," Kotetsu added.

_We'll see about that._

"All right, I guess I'll see you two in the exam room," said Naruto before making his way to the stairs.

"And don't cast that genjutsu on the staircase either," Kotetsu called out from behind him.

"I wasn't planning on it," Naruto called over his shoulder.

"He was so going to do it," said Izumo as Naruto disappeared around the corner.

"Yep, no doubt about it," Kotetsu concluded.

* * *

_**2 hours later**_

"I think you were a _bit_ too early Naruto," said Akeginu in a drawn out drone. She sounded bored. He didn't blame her.

"Maybe," replied Naruto.

He was leaning up against the wall at the back of the room, arms folded staring at the doorway hoping someone would walk through. He was bored too. They had been waiting for about two hours now and he was willing to concede that he _may _have been a little too enthusiastic this morning.

"Maybe? You're actually debating this?" Akeginu asked incredulously.

"Ah—no," Naruto conceded. The chances of winning that argument were slim, very slim.

The sound of boredom was disturbed by the creak of door hinges.

Both Naruto and Akeginu turned their attention to the front of the room, and watched with interest as the door swung open and the first of would be chūnin trundled into the room. They were a team of genin from Amegakure, the Village Hidden by Rain.

Their presence was a little bit of a surprise for Naruto. Ame had developed an isolationist policy since the Second Great Shinobi War, and the last he heard they were in the middle of a civil war. Did this mean that the war was over?

Naruto made a note get into contact with Kiriko and see if she could dig up some up to date information on the village. If they were about to become a relevant player in the Hidden Village power struggle once more, he wanted to know why.

The three Rain nin quickly noticed his presence and made their way over to him.

_And so the posturing begins, _thought Naruto.

He analysed the three Ame nin as they strutted over to him. Their movements, and posture conveyed the sure signs of misplaced confidence.

_Perhaps I was wrong about the foreign nin being better, I'd expect this type of behaviour from Kiba._

Their jōnin-sensei really should have told them that the chūnin exams were no place for schoolyard antics, but at least it would be a good opportunity to remove some of the competition.

_**Genjutsu: Suimin Yuudou(Genjutsu: Sleep Induction)**__._

Names are important. In this instance the name functioned as a mnemonic trigger for his genjutsu.

In most cases hands seals were required to shape chakra into something useable like a ninjutsu or genjutsu technique. It special cases with enough talent and experience a ninja could master the process to the extent that he or she could do away with hand seals all together. Thanks to Kurama, Naruto could circumvent the need for hand seals — at least as far as genjutsu was concerned.

His sub vocalisation triggered a process inside his body. He wasn't sure exactly what Kurama did to him, but his glands now produced a pheromone, which with enough practice he could modify — using chakra — to induce whatever illusion he wanted. In this instance he modified it into a strong compulsion to sleep.

Once the pheromone was prepared and the illusion ready he immediately diffused it into the environment. The pheromones were imperceptible to the naked eye. In fact, the only evidence of the genjutsu being cast was the unique smell inherent to each illusion.

The process only took a few seconds, and by the time the pheromone was diffused into the air the three Rain genin had reached him.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? You're looking awfully lonely there Leaf nin. Where's your team?" The Rain nin asked. He smirked arrogantly at Naruto, while his compatriots laughed behind him.

Naruto ignored the bravado; instead choosing to observe his would be adversaries while his genjutsu took effect. It was never instantaneous — one of the few disadvantages of the technique —so he had to wait for his victims to inhale the pheromones before they worked their magic.

The Rain nin who just opened his mouth was fairly tall, definitely a few years older than Naruto. The Rain nin had a definite weight advantage over him, and had the extra bulk rarely seen on someone his own age. He was either older or on growth hormones.

Naruto glanced down at the ninjas waist. There was no evidence of any weapon, which wasn't uncommon amongst shinobi. With the exception of weapon specialist, most ninja liked to keep their hands free for hand seals.

Naruto designated him 'Idiot Number One'.

The two other Rain ninjas were standing a few feet behind Idiot Number One. One wore a bandana with his hitai-ate displayed proudly on his forehead; he was smiling smugly at Naruto. Unlike Idiot Number One he was armed with a tanto.

Naruto couldn't tell much about the last one, his face was hidden by a straw sugegasa, **(3) **and wore a cloak concealing any evidence of a weapon.

The Rain team took his silence for fear.

Idiots.

"Maybe we should show this guy exactly why it's bad idea to show up early without your teammates," said the bandana guy. Naruto dubbed him 'Idiot Number Two'.

"Enough of this Naruto. Show these fools who they're dealing with." Akeginu would not tolerate him being disrespected in her presence. If she was corporeal he had no doubt these idiots would be missing their heads by now.

Naruto gave Akeginu a wry smile, acknowledging what she said. He then pushed himself off the wall, faced the Rain nin, and in a calm voice said, "Standard protocol for ninja entering new and potentially dangerous territory – do not attract attention."

The words left his mouth at the exact same time his genjutsu took effect. The result was instantaneous. His genjutsu blasted straight through their mental barriers, flooding their minds with an extremely powerful compulsion to sleep.

It was certainly not a subtle genjutsu. Any competent chūnin or jōnin would recognise what was happening. But recognising the genjutsu and successfully fighting it off were two very different things. While it was by no means a simple task to recognise when a genjutsu was being used —especially if the genjutsu was subtle or multi-layered — breaking the hold of a talented genjutsu user was much, much harder. It essentially became a battle of willpower.

These genin stood no chance. His compulsion completely overrode their minds causing all three to crumple to the ground unconscious.

"Heh…they were all talk," said Akeginu.

Naruto walked over to the three unconscious Rain nin and looked at them contemptuously.

_Idiots, _he thought. A moment of reckless arrogance had put them in a position where their lives were in the hands of a complete stranger. He thanked Kami that Akeginu had beaten that kind of stupidity out of him when he was a child. Who knows how he would have acted otherwise.

"You're not going to kill them?" Akeginu asked.

He was sorely tempted, but decided against it. He didn't want to make a fuss just yet.

"I don't want to attract too much attention this early on. Besides, they may very well postpone the exam while they investigate the deaths. I don't think either of us wants to wait around even longer."

"Well…that's certainly true enough."

"Anyway, that's one team taken care of," said Naruto. **(4)**

* * *

The room quickly filled up after that little incident. Representatives from Suna, Takigakure, Otogakure, Kusagakure and Amegakure were all present.

Like he told Akeginu earlier, these exams were a great way to attract clients and it seemed all the neighboring villages were participating. Though one stood out as unusual to Naruto.

_Otogakure? Never heard of it…how is that possible? _Naruto thought to himself. He was well versed in geography, and had read all the material available on any of the other hidden villages. The only conclusion he could think of was that it was a new village, but that couldn't be right. The other villages wouldn't allow it. How did they earn an invite to these exams anyway?

It was very unusual. Naruto made a note to watch their teams carefully. He hated feeling ignorant.

The sudden surge of killing intent announced the arrival of the Suna trio, as he had come to call them. It was impressive really. He certainly wasn't capable of that yet. It took years and a lot of corpses to develop killing intent like that.

Everyone paid particular attention to the Suna trio when they entered. They stood out amongst the crowd — not necessarily a good trait to have, though they didn't seem to care. The jinchūriki looked indifferent, the puppet guy had a smirk on his face, and the blonde girl with the fan just looked annoyed.

Naruto glanced around the room. He still didn't see any Konoha teams he recognized. There were a few older teams sprinkled throughout the crowd, but none from his graduating year.

_Yūgao did tell me that all of the rookie teams were participating, so where are they?_

He glanced at the clock on the wall; the exams were scheduled to start in fifteen minutes.

It wasn't until ten minutes before the start of the exams that he saw some Konha nin that he recognized. It was Team 10, he could pick Shikamaru's spiky hair out of the crowd easily.

Team 8, and two thirds of Team Gai quickly followed them in. He had no idea where Lee was.

His fellow 'rookies' weren't of much interest to him. It had only been a few months since he and seen them last. He doubted they had improved much since then. Team 7 certainly hadn't, and if any were hiding their abilities before —like he was — he would have to wait until later to find out.

Instead, he focused on Team Gai. It had been a year since he had laid eyes on Neji and Tintin.**(5)** From what he recalled, the Hyūga was quite talented at Taijutsu, but that wasn't really surprising. The same thing could be said for all Hyūga. Neji likely would have excelled with a year under Maito Gai's tutelage. Tintin called herself a weapon's specialist — she wasn't. She didn't really know how to use the majority of weapons she carried. No, she specialized in shurikenjutsu. She would be great support for two taijutsu specialists like Neji and Lee. But, she wouldn't be much of an opponent in a one on one fight.

Lee was the one he was most interested in. He wasn't stupid enough to dismiss the genin because he couldn't utilize ninjutsu or genjutsu. Akeginu showed him on a regular basis what people without chakra were capable of.

How much had Rock Lee improved under Gai's instruction?

As if on cue Lee came walking through the door.

_Well…his appearance has certainly changed_, thought Naruto. Apparently Lee could pull off quite an accurate imitation of Gai.

As Lee made his way over to Neji and Tintin, Team 7 walked through the door. To Naruto's amusement, the Uchiha looked like he had been hit in the face with a brick.

Naruto quickly lost interest as the three rookie teams met up and the two fan girls started making a scene over the Uchiha. If they wanted to paint targets on their backs, then that was their problem. It looked like a silver hair leaf nin was about to call them out on their behavior anyway.

Shaking his head, he turned to Akeginu, "What do you think?"

"What?" The Taki nin next to him asked.

"Not you," said Naruto in annoyance.

_Great, people are going to start thinking I'm crazy, _thought Naruto. It seems there were disadvantages to having an invisible friend.

Akeginu giggled to herself. She obviously found it rather amusing.

"Are you done?"

"Sorry," Akeginu apologized.

Naruto had severe doubts as to the sincerity of that apology.

Akeginu then became serious, and started scanning the crowd with a calculative gaze. Naruto saw her sharp eyes narrow and lock onto to someone in the crowd.

"Oh! Look at this Naruto," said Akeginu.

Naruto turned to see what had caught her interest. A fight had broken out.

The silver haired genin who had just been conversing with Team 7 dodged an attack from one of the Oto genin.

Naruto was impressed. Not at the speed which the silver haired genin dodged. It was fast, but not that fast. No, he was impressed with the economy of movement. The Silver haired genin had dodged the attack with the least amount of effort possible. His movements were very organised and controlled.

_He's very good, _Naruto noted to himself.

Unfortunately for the silver haired genin, the Oto's genin attack was not just a physical one.

Whatever the attack was, it caused the silver haired genin's glasses to fracture and left him vomiting on the floor.

_Interesting_,_ was that wind or something else? _He wondered.

"What was that?" Naruto asked Akeginu.

"Hmm…fractured glass? My guess would be some sort of sound wave," Akeginu replied.

_Sound, huh. I suppose the name of their village isn't just for show._

"That silver haired genin is good Naruto," warned Akeginu. "He spotted the attacker even before I did."

"I noticed. His movements are excellent. He's definitely experienced and well trained."

Naruto would have used his sensor abilities to take a closer look at the genin's chakra signature, but paused when he felt the imminent arrival of a large group of ninja.

They arrived hidden in a cloud of smoke indicative of a basic shunshin.

_Well, this should be interesting, _thought Naruto as he gazed at the newcomers.

They were a team of chūnin led by a jōnin Naruto immediately recognised. While he hadn't met the man personally yet, he knew him by reputation. Morino Ibiki, the head of Torture and Interrogation. Certainly one of the more infamous figures in Konoha.

It seemed Konoha was taking these exams seriously after all.

* * *

While Naruto and the other genin were getting personally acquainted with Ibiki, Yūgao was trying to enjoy breakfast with her boyfriend.

Unfortunately, the mornings escapades had left her dead tired so she was paying more attention to the coffee than the perfectly steamed piece of fish in front of her. At least she was, right up until the point where her boyfriend told her something incredible.

"What!? Ibiki's in charge, no way," exclaimed Yūgao.

"Yep (cough). I met with him and (cough) Anko this morning," said Hayate.

_Anko…Ibiki…What the hell is the Hokage thinking?_

Some of those kids would be scarred for life. Those two weren't regarded as the two biggest sadists in Konoha for nothing.

"Well…I'm sure Naruto will be fine. He likes torturing people too."

Hayate sweat dropped. "You did tell him not to kill any of the Konoha ninja right (cough)?

_Shit._

"Um…yes."

"You forgot…(cough)…didn't you?

Yūgao stabbed a chopstick into her fish.

"It's all Naruto fault…making me get up at the crack of dawn for nothing," complained Yūgao.

"This is bad Yūgao," said Hayate seriously.

"You're exaggerating," said Yūgao dismissively. She judged the probability of Naruto slaughtering the entire field of genin as mild at best. Naruto didn't like to attract attention.

While killing was allowed in certain parts of the exam, killing fellow Leaf comrades was generally frowned upon. Accidents did happen though; it came with the territory. The killing she was concerned about was premeditated assassination. But, she doubted Naruto would kill any of the leaf ninja. Maim maybe, but not kill. She couldn't say the same for some of the visiting genin though.

"I hope so…(cough).

* * *

Back at the academy Naruto was staring curiously at the exam paper in front of him.

_Interesting._

Cheating in an exam environment. It was certainly a novel way of testing a ninja's ability to gather intelligence.

When the examiners showed up, they had been told to pick a number and were seated at random. Naruto had to refrain from laughing when the proctor had the Rain nin he disabled earlier carried to hospital by some chūnin after they had failed to wake up when asked.

To his right sat the blonde Suna kunoichi with the giant battle fan. At least he could use this opportunity to try and examine her chakra signature. To his left was some non descript genin from Taki.

Focusing on the matter at hand Naruto gave the test paper a cursory look over. The questions were certainly difficult, at least if you were relying on academy level knowledge. However, he would have little trouble answering them. He didn't spend years reading ever book he could get his hands on for nothing.

A quick glance around the room told him that most people had figured out the real purpose of the test. Though some were making a complete mess out of trying to acquire the answers.

Those people ended up with a kunai sticking in their desk and were asked to promptly leave the room. They had failed.

The genin weren't expected to be so subtle as to completely fool the chūnin. With so many in the room it would be virtually impossible. But they were expected to meet a certain standard.

It was also a good opportunity to evaluate the other competitor's skill.

He had already noticed the Suna guy's puppet sitting to his right, not too far from his position. It was pretty well disguised, though the chūnin had definitely noticed it.

Naruto was impressed. Kugutsu was a rare and difficult art. A genin controlling a puppet to such a degree either marked this guy as a prodigy or someone like himself — someone who had training far beyond the level of a regular genin.

That Suna Team was becoming more interesting every time he saw them.

Naruto also noticed Tintin using ninja wire to position mirrors. Naruto would have done the same with his ebon ropes had he actually needed to cheat — that or just ask Akeginu to look at the paper of the chūnin seated in front of him.

The chūnin weren't making too much of an effort to hide their presence. He could pick them all out of the crowd. Their chakra reserves were generally larger and more mature than the other genin, with a few obvious exceptions, he and the Suna jinchūriki foremost among them.

Speaking of the Suna jinchūriki. It seemed that Kurama was right about the sand.

"_**You sound surprised, since when have I ever steered you wrong?" **_Kurama asked.

_There's a difference between knowing it and seeing it firsthand. He's making an actual eye out of sand and using it as a proxy. The control required to be able to do that must be incredibly high._

"_**Is it really so surprising? I told you that Shukaku was adept at nature transformation. He's obviously imparted some of that ability onto his host. Just like I did with you and my illusions."**_

_So his affinity for sand manipulation is analogous to my affinity for genjutsu?_

"_**Yes. As I made alterations to your body so that you could use my illusion technique, Shukaku has made alterations allowing that boy to control sand. Think of it like a bloodline. How many other people your age are so capable with illusions?"**_

_None, except maybe an Uchiha, _thought Naruto in understanding. Itachi had been famous for his ability with genjutsu.

"_**See."**_

_That's very interesting. So, you essentially gave me a bloodline?_

"_**Not really. It can't be passed down through blood so it's certainly not a bloodline. It's more akin to a mutation than anything else. "**_

Naruto glanced back at the Suna jinchūriki. It appeared that he had attracted Akeginu's attention as well seeing as though she was looking very closely at his sand eye. Interestingly the sand seemed to be attracted to Akeginu's presence. Could the Ichibi sense her?

"_**Quite possibly. I can, and although Shukaku's senses are not as well trained as mine, we Biju are the most powerful Yōkai in existence for a reason. He should be able to sense a nearby spirit, even one as weak as hers."**_

Naruto sighed; he definitely needed to catalogue all this info about yōkai one day. He was far too ignorant of the spiritual world for his liking.

Naruto looked down at his test. It was time to get this done. If he finished early he could go back to observing the other genin, and maybe start memorising some of their chakra signatures. He had no intention of trying to cheat. It was pointless. You don't take risks acquiring intel that you already have.

_Question number 1…_

* * *

Morino Ibiki was a hard man. He could destroy a man's mind while doing his tax return and not even break a sweat. Mere mention of his name in the presence of a criminal or a traitor would get you a written confession and someone sending for the intern to clean up the piss off the ground. Pain was his mistress. He knew her intimately, both as an adversary and as an ally. The human mind was his playground, and boy did he love playing in it. So finding him in a classroom full of budding young ninja hoping to make chūnin rank was a novel sight indeed.

Ibiki was having a blast.

_I wish I could do this every year, _thought Ibiki as he crushed another genin's dream of becoming chūnin.

He cast his piercing gaze around the room and studied the crop of genin in front of him.

It was nice of the Hokage to give him access to so many young and impressionable minds. He knew exactly what the Hokage wanted. These kids needed to understand what being a ninja truly meant. By the end of the hour he would see which ones amongst them truly had the resolve to continue.

He smirked as another one was removed from the room. There were some good ones amongst the bunch, others…not so much. You needed skills as well as resolve to become chūnin. Those that were missing either would have to come back next year.

There were two standouts though.

He focused on the kid from Suna. The eye trick was good, very good.

Nature manipulation to that degree at his age was rare. The kid was probably a ninjutsu powerhouse. Suna had been training their genin very well indeed.

He gaze shifted over to the other genin of interest. He hadn't noticed this one until twenty minutes into the exam, which was a feat in itself.

This genin was cloaked in dark clothes and had a hood concealing the majority of his face. All Ibiki could make out was some pale skin, and a few wisps of blonde hair. This one was definitely odd. For starters he had been sleeping for the last twenty minutes, or at least that's what he wanted people to think.

Ibiki knew better. The kid must be a sensor. There was no other reason why he would close his eyes.

One of his chūnin had already signaled to him that the kid had answered the first nine questions, and hadn't been caught cheating, not even once.

_Very interesting indeed._

He gave a quick look at the clock on the wall. It was time for the final part of the test. Time to see if they had the resolve required to be chūnin.

"Okay, and now…we'll begin the tenth question."

* * *

Naruto had to admit the proctor was performing his role admirably. He had a presence about him that had most of the genin sitting on the edge of their seats while he explained the true purpose of the test.

Too bad it wasn't anything that he hadn't heard before.

Akeginu had taught him all this years ago. If you didn't have the resolve to do what needed to be done, you were best off resigning immediately. If not you'd likely end up dead. Ninja life was all about commitment. Taking an action without commitment, the resolve to see it through was a recipe for disaster.

"These kids need to get their priorities in order," said Akeginu as she watched some of them walk out of the room.

Naruto nodded his head in agreement. If they were this scared of failing the exam what would they do when confronted with the prospect of dying? Similarly, if they were foolish enough to believe that the proctor could bare them from competing in future exams, than they were morons, and would likely die in the near future anyway.

So instead of making a fuss, he just sat patiently in his chair. He was more than happy to watch them walk out of the room.

It took a while, but the proctor finally decided to stop the test. Naruto counted seventy genin left including himself.

"What did you mean? We already pass? What about the tenth question?" Haruno asked.

Naruto sighed, he wanted to move onto the next test, but apparently it was question time.

"There never was such a thing. You had two choices to make, you could say that they were the tenth question," explained the proctor.

"Hey! Then what were the first nine questions for?! They were pointless then!" The Suna girl next to him asked.

_Heh, That pissed them off_

"They were _not_ pointless. They had already served their intended purpose — To test your information gathering ability…that purpose."

It shouldn't have been that surprising. Ninja and espionage go hand in hand. It's one of their primary functions. But apparently this was news for many of the other genin. He gave a silent thanks to Akeginu. Without her he probably would have been one of these ignorant genin. Who knows how the test would have gone then?

Naruto waited patiently while the proctor explained the test.

He had to admit, the proctor had done a good job. He managed to test the genin's teamwork, ability and resolve all in the one exam.

"It was a very good exercise," said Akeginu as if reading his mind.

He nodded his head to show he agreed.

Naruto raised an eyebrow when the proctor removed his bandana to show the group the legacy of what must have been an intense torture session.

"Burn marks? Screws?" Akeginu asked.

_Yep, those were definitely screw marks, _Naruto thought. It was interesting that a torture victim would go into that profession. _I suppose he would understand the mentality of the interrogatee better than anyone._

When the proctor finally finished his explanation Naruto noticed the man tense and look to his right. Naruto felt it too; someone was moving towards the window very, very quickly.

Guessing what was about to occur he shifted his head to the right. The glass shattered second later. He could feel the shards bounce harmlessly off the back of his hood. Glancing back at the cause of the disruption, Naruto saw a bundle of black spinning through the air. His sharp eyes were able to see the person wrapped up inside the bundle.

Instinctively, Naruto's hand went to his katana, but he paused. The proctor hadn't reacted, to a threat anyway, he just seemed annoyed by the interruption.

So Naruto relaxed focused on the source of the commotion. The banner opened to reveal an attractive woman clad in nothing but a trench coat, a mesh body suit and an extremely short orange skirt.

_She's not leaving much to the imagination, _thought Naruto as his eyes swept over her.

She had spiky black hair that was tied back in a ponytail. Her hair had a blue tint to it. The most striking feature about her was her brown pupil-less eyes.

The banner behind her, which had been erected using a skillful display of shurikenjutsu, read: Second Proctor, Mitarashi Anko.

"You guys!" She yelled. "This is no time for celebrating. I'm the examiner for the second test Mitarashi Anko! Let's go!"

Most of the genin just gave her a deadpan stare. He didn't blame them. Between the flashy entrance, the eye-catching clothes —or lack thereof — and the ostentatious introduction, most of the genin were probably wondering what the hell was going on.

The woman seemed a little put out by the lack of reaction from the genin.

He knew who she was from Yūgao's occasional mutterings about too much dango. Apparently this Anko had a severe dango addiction and wasn't afraid of sharing it with Yūgao. She also had a legendary reputation for bloodlust, and it was well known fact that she was the Snake Sannin's former apprentice.

"70? Hey Ibiki, the numbers don't add up," said Anko.

"Yes, they do. I'll tell you later," Ibiki responded. Apparently Ibiki had been notified of the one-man team.

"Well…there are still too many teams here. The test must have been too easy," Anko complained.

"The test was fine. There are lots of outstanding genin this time," replied Ibiki.

"Bah, that's fine. I'll cut them in half in the second test anyway," said Anko, "All right. Everyone, follow me!"

Everyone just kept staring blankly at her.

"Move people!"

* * *

A foreboding atmosphere hung over the group of genin as they stared at Training Ground 44, or the Forest of Death as it was affectionately known by most Leaf ninja. The deathly silence that permeated from the forest like an ill omen caused a few of the genin to shift their feet nervously as they waited for the second examiner to explain the next test.

The whole scene may have been more intimidating to Naruto if he hadn't spent so much time hunting and training in the forest when he was younger. During the early years of his training he would practice, and perfect his stealth movements by hunting the local fauna in the forest. Then practice concealment as he quickly…retreated from them once they noticed his presence. Some of the predators in these woods were extremely dangerous.

On this occasion it looked like he'd get to hunt the most dangerous game of all.

"…_**Yōkai?" **_Kurama asked, intruding into his thoughts.

_What? No, I meant humans._

"_**Amusing. You humans have no conception of how low you rank on the food chain."**_

_Thanks for reminding me. How did you get stuck inside me again?_

…

_Heh, I thought so._

Unfortunately, Naruto couldn't savour his rare verbal victory over the ancient kitsune due to someone shoving a liability waiver in his hands.

_Hmm…this is a nice touch, _thought Naruto as he examined the document. It was complete bullshit of course. They may be genin, but they were still ninja. The threat of death was a constant for them. Field work, even training, there was risk inherent in everything a ninja did.

The piece of paper was designed for one thing and one thing only. To inform those who still hadn't realized the gravity of the situation they were in that they may very well die if they didn't start taking things more seriously.

It also meant that from now on, the gloves were off.

"It looks like the fun's about to begin," commented Akeginu. She was reading the waiver from over his shoulder, and apparently thinking along the same lines as he was.

"_**Naruto**_**."**

_What?_

"_**I sense it…the taint."**_

_Taint?_

"_**Yes, taint. Remember that human who attempted to steal the scroll?"**_

_Mizuki?_

"_**Yes, that one. I sense two similar sensations nearby. Consider yourself warned. "**_

Naruto didn't know what to make of that. One of the sensations would most likely be coming from Mitarashi Anko seeing as though she was the Snake Sannin's former student, but whom else? That meant one of the other genin was likely a spy, which wasn't that surprising. These exams were the perfect opportunity to sneak into Konoha.

_It's something else to keep an eye out for, _thought Naruto.

He turned his attention back to the examiner who was explaining the nature of the test.

"During the survival in here," said Anko while pointing her thumb at the forest, "you will be competing in a no rules, scroll battle."

_Scrolls, huh._

"You will be fighting over these two scrolls," said the examiner, holding up two different coloured scrolls. "The 'Heaven' and 'Earth'.

_It looks like we'll be putting Morino-san's lesson into practice, _thought Naruto.

Theoretically a scroll could contain anything from important information, to secret techniques , or even a summons. So, for the purposes of this test, the scroll could represent anything of value.

"Half the teams will get the Heaven Scroll. The other half will get the Earth Scroll," continued Anko. "To pass this test, your team must make it to the tower with both scrolls."

_Straightforward enough, _thought Naruto. It was a good way to cut the participating teams in half.

"There's a time limit," the examiner announced. "This second test will last 120 hours. Exactly five days."

He had no intention of spending that long in the forest. First priority would be getting his hands on a scroll. Following that, he would be gathering information. His shadow clones would be doing the majority of the work there.

While Anko set out the parameters for the exam Naruto turned to Akeginu.

"When they hand out the scrolls, I want you to watch who gets which scroll," he instructed her quietly.

"Got it," replied Akeginu.

Naruto turned back to the examiner as she finished explaining the rules. They seemed straightforward enough.

"Exchange your three forms for the scroll," instructed the examiner. She pointed toward two chūnin standing in front of a desk near the fence. The desk had a black curtain in front of it, effectively blocking the exchange from view.

Naruto indicated to Akeginu to go take a look. He might not be able to see behind the curtain blocking the exchange from view, but Akeginu could get there without being noticed. It wouldn't do much to stop the two Hyūga present either.

He waited until there were only a few teams left before going to get his own scroll.

"Where are your teammates?" The chūnin at the desk asked.

"I'm a one person cell," he replied.

"We were told about him remember," said the other chūnin.

The chūnin who asked the question looked embarrassed, and handed him an Earth scroll. "Good luck."

He left the desk and made his way over to his assigned entry point, Gate 29. It was time to start the second test.

* * *

Naruto glided silently across the branches of the forest. His feet barely brushing the large limbs of the giant trees as he moved from one to another.

"What's first Naruto?" Akeginu asked.

"We need to get a scroll. Following that, information, especially on the Suna jinchūriki," Naruto replied. His eyes were continuously scanning the forest, not just for ninja, but for predators as well.

Akeginu nodded her head in agreement before turning to look in the other direction. "What do you plan to do about our tail?"

"Ambush," Naruto replied succinctly.

They were being followed, or rather, Naruto was leading his would be attackers into a trap. He hadn't bothered to conceal his chakra when the second phase of the exam began. As to why, well, he wasn't naïve enough to believe that he went unnoticed during the initial phase of the exam. Some would have picked up on the fact that he had no teammates and think him easy prey.

That misinterpretation was going to cost them dearly.

He reached a small opening in the forest where several large rocks prevented trees from growing.

_This will do nicely._

Landing lightly on the forest floor he turned and explained his intentions to Akeginu.

"We'll spring the trap here," said Naruto. "Since there are two teams following us I'd prefer to have them fight each other before I make my move."

Akeginu approved. "A sound plan."

He could probably handle both teams quite easily himself, but taking on superior numbers was bad tactics when there were other options available. It was certainly not a habit he wanted to get into. Plus, he couldn't rule out there being someone like him amongst them, as unlikely as that was.

No. The best option was to have both the teams fight each other. It posed the least risk, and also gave him the opportunity to observe their skills.

He needed to act quickly though. The pursuing teams were closing in fast.

Thinking quickly, he made a shadow clone and had it stand in the middle of the clearing. He then threw an ebon rope upwards, toward the canopy.

The trees in this forest were enormous. He couldn't reach the summit with one rope, so instead he aimed at some lower branches surrounding the clearing, and used them to swing up to the canopy.

Reaching the summit, he blended into the forest ceiling just as the first team arrived.

Three figures confronted his shadow clone. Their forehead protectors indicated that they were from Takigakure, the Village Hidden by a Waterfall.

It was a small hidden village. One he didn't really know much about except for the fact that it produced the legendary, Eiyu no Mizu (Hero Water), and was once the home of one of the oldest existing bounties in the Bingo Book.

The three Taki genin quickly surrounded his clone. They likely felt comfortable enough to confront him directly with their superior numbers.

Their team was made up of two male ninjas and one kunoichi. He took note that they all wore kodachi strapped to their backs. Either their sensei was a kenjutsu user or Taki had kenjutsu program in their academy.

The kunoichi took the lead. Naruto assumed her to be the de facto leader of the team.

"Hand over your scroll Leaf nin, and we'll let you go."

"Oh, and why would I do that?" His clone responded. It didn't matter what it said, it just needed to stall the Taki team until the other team arrived.

"Idiot, don't you realize what position you're in?" The male Taki ninja asked.

"Come on Akane. We can take him," said the other male, drawing his kodachi.

"You don't even know if I have the scroll you need," his clone pointed out.

"Take out your scroll and put it on the ground," the kunoichi ordered. "This is your last chance."

Instead of doing that, his clone dispelled. The other team was here.

"Damn it! It was a clone," one of the Taki ninja cursed.

"Impossible. I would have seen through a simple clone," the kunoichi defended.

While the Taki team argued about his clone, Naruto watched from his vantage point as the other team moved into position.

The attack came in the form of an umbrella.

Naruto recognized what was about to happen. He'd seen it before.

The umbrella twirled out above the Taki nin and released a hail of death upon the Taki nin. Senbon rained down, but amidst the danger, the Taki kunoichi managed to surprise Naruto.

"**Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Release: Water Encampment Wall)!"**

A large volume of water spewed fourth from the kunoichi's mouth and formed a giant wall of water effectively intercepting the senbon shower.

_Impressive, _Naruto observed. Few genin had the ability to use elemental ninjutsu so effectively.

Both of her teammates had the presence of mind to dart behind her when she called out the name of the attack. Their teamwork was fairly good as well.

_I wonder if Suiton affinity is common amongst Taki ninja, _Naruto wondered as the battle continued down below.

A fundo (iron weight) attached to a chain shot out from the trees straight towards the back of one of the male Taki ninja.

_Hmm… a kusarigama?_

The Taki ninja managed to spin and deflect the heavy weight with his kodachi. But, they didn't have a chance to rest as an explosive tag flew from the trees forcing the Taki team to scatter from the explosion.

The fight quickly escalated from there.

The attackers, seeing that their ambush had failed, attacked in full force.

_Another Ame team, _Naruto noted.

"Naruto," called Akeginu. "That Ame Team has the scroll you need."

_Good. I won't have to go looking for a Heaven scroll._

Naruto waited before making his move though. He wanted to see what they were all capable of.

From what he could see, the Taki team relied heavily on teamwork, kenjutsu and water ninjutsu from the kunoichi for support.

On the other hand, the Ame team had more individualized skills. One used a kusarigama with a decent amount of skill. Akeginu also knew how to use the weapon, but he had never taken a liking to it.

The Ame nin's teammates used senbon and explosives respectively.

That diversity was giving the Ame team the advantage, and it was readily apparent from his vantage point that the Ame team was quickly gaining the upper hand.

"All right, I've seen enough," Naruto told Akeginu.

_**Genjutsu: Nyu-Shokku (Genjutsu: Neural Shock), **_he sub-vocalised_._

Naruto didn't have to wait long for his genjutsu to take effect.

The sound of fighting was replaced by screams as the genin below fell to the ground in agony. The Taki kunoichi dropped to her knees and grabbed her head like she was experiencing the worst migraine of her life, while her teammate looked like they were having seizures.

"Damn it, poison," croaked one of the Ame ninjas before crumpling to the ground in pain.

When all six ninja were disabled Naruto lowered himself to the forest floor, using his ebon ropes to control his descent.

He landed in a crouch amidst the screaming genin.

"The one with the rebreather has the scroll Naruto," said Akeginu.

He gave Akeginu a nod, and immediately walked over to the Ame nin who had the scroll. Most of them were in too much pain to notice his present, but the one with the scroll saw him coming and pulled out a senbon to defend himself.

"Bastard," he said through clenched teeth. "What did …you do?"

Naruto didn't bother replying to the question. Instead, he kicked the ninja straight in his rebreather, sending him sprawling backwards into the ground.

He kneeled down, and flipped the ninja over. He pinned the genin down with a knee in the back, before removing the scroll out from the Ame nin's pocket.

Naruto looked at the scroll in his hands. Like Akeginu said, it was a Heaven scroll.

_Perfect, _he thought as he got off the Ame nin. Before the Ame nin could try and get up Naruto stomped on his head, effectively rendering him unconscious. He would probably have a severe concussion when he awoke.

He turned around and approached the Taki team or more specifically the Taki kunoichi; she was the one with the scroll.

"Please, don't—"

Naruto put his foot on her chest and pinned her back down to the ground. Her eyes widened in fear.

"P-please, not that," she begged.

Naruto rolled his eyes; the girl was jumping to conclusions. He wasn't interested in that — at least not with her. Instead of assaulting her like the girl expected, he reached behind her back and removed the scroll from her belt.

It was an Earth scroll.

While it may have been the same scroll as his, it didn't hurt to have a spare, and taking it would effectively remove the Taki team from the competition. Like the Ame team they would need to acquire two scrolls now.

He didn't spare the kunoichi a second glance.

"Please… the antidote." The Taki kunoichi had managed to say as he moved away from her.

Naruto turned around and tilted his head, "Antidote?"

The Taki kunoichi's eyes widened in horror before collapsing back to the ground.

Smiling, he canceled the genjutsu and disappeared.

* * *

"That was delightfully cruel Naruto," said Akeginu once they were clear of the two teams.

Naruto smiled at her. "I try."

"You didn't kill them though."

Naruto shook his head. "They're some other team's problem now."

He didn't really see the point in killing them. They wouldn't be able to find him again now that he had concealed his chakra. Furthermore, since neither team had their scrolls they would be pursuing the other teams far more aggressively than they otherwise would.

Anyway, now that he had the required scroll he could focus on gathering intelligence.

_**Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique) .**_

Fifty clones appeared in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto looked at his clones, and began giving out orders.

"All right. Spread out. Find a team, and observe. I want to know what they're doing and what they're capable of by the time they exit the forest. Move out!"

The fifty shadow cones scattered in opposite directions.

"I never get tired of seeing that," said Akeginu.

"Oh?" Naruto smiled cheekily at her. "You just like seeing so many versions of me at once."

Akeginu smiled provocatively right back at him, "You wish I did."

"Okay...focus," Naruto said to Akeginu. As much as he would like to stand around chatting with her, it wasn't really the place for it. "Let's get going. I want to find the Suna jinchūriki."

* * *

Naruto Shadow Clone Number Thirty Eight, or Night Shadow as he preferred to be called, stared on with interest as a ninja from Kusa pummelled the absolute shit out that teme, Sasuke.

_Heh, not so cool now are you, _he mocked his rival. Something weird was going on with the teme's eyes as well. They were red for some reason.

Unfortunately, despite how much he liked watching that Kusa nin kick Sasuke's arse, he needed to save Sakura-chan, and look cool doing it.

The boss would be pissed, but how could he pass up this chance?

Focusing, he was about to make his move when the creepy tongue guy suddenly stopped attacking Sasuke.

"Tch."

_Stupid weirdo._

"I see you've awakened your Sharingan, Sasuke-kun. Brilliant. My name is Orochimaru," said the creepy Kusa nin said to Sasuke. "If you want to see me again, then survive and pass this exam. It won't be easy. You'll need to defeat my men, the Oto trio on the way. "

_Sharingan, huh — _Wait…Orochimaru…why_ does that name sound familiar? _Night Shadow wondered. _  
_

It could wait. He needed to save Sakura-chan.

However, before he could make a cool entrance the Kusa nin's neck stretched out to an inhuman length allowing him to bite Sasuke on the back of the neck.

_What the hell?_

Sasuke screamed in agony as the freak bit his neck.

_Shit. The boss will want to know about this._

Night Shadow decided it was the right time to make an awesome entrance. Jumping off the branch, he prepared to yell out his attack at the top of his lungs, but instead, was violently dispelled as a kunai hit him straight in the chest.

* * *

_**15 minutes later**_

He faded from shadow to shadow like a wraith amidst the trees. Imperceptible, he was a specter. Nothing could touch him.

He was Ghost — not Shadow Clone Number 12 like the boss called him. Seriously, that guy had no flair for the dramatic.

Ghost paused as he heard raised voices to his left. Interest peeked; he melted back into the shadows and went in search of information.

_What the? _Was the thought that came to mind when he came upon the cause of the disturbance.

That weird, but strangely attractive examiner had some guy pushed up against the tree.

_Is this what I think it is?_

"Planning to commit suicide?" The guy asked.

_Okay…maybe not._

The guy disappeared in a cloud of smoke indicating that he had just been a shadow clone.

"We haven't seen each other in a while, yet you're so cold Anko," said the guy.

There was something off about the guy's voice. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but whatever it was, it sent shivers down his spine.

"Are you here to assassinate the Hokage?" The examiner asked.

_What?!_

"No, I don't have enough men for that yet. I'm here to recruit some outstanding ones from this village. In fact, I just gave a kid one of those juinjutsu."

_Juinjutsu? Like that shit Mizuki had? Not good._

"He's the perfect vessel to be my successor," said the guy, interrupting Ghost's thoughts.

_Successor? What the hell is going on here?_

"If that boy survives things could get very interesting. So, please don't stop this exam prematurely," said the man. "Three from my village are taking part."

The man stood up on the tree branch and looked down at the examiner. "If you try and stop my enjoyment, believe me, this village is as good as finished," he threatened.

_I need to report this—_

— He paused mid thought as something cold, and alive wrapped itself tightly around his body.

_That can't be good._

"And where do you think you're going," said an amused voice from behind.

Ghost looked down to see an extremely large, and deadly looking snake wound tightly around his torso.

Deciding that he really didn't like how this situation was developing he dispelled. There was no way, he was going to let himself be eaten by a giant snake.

* * *

Naruto's eyes lost focus as a rush of memories invaded his mind.

"Remind me to torture my clones after we're done here," Naruto said to Akeginu.

"What did they do this time?" Akeginu asked. The tone in her voice implied that she wasn't surprised in the least that his clones had once again done something idiotic.

"You don't want to know," said Naruto in a resigned tone. He really needed to fix whatever was wrong with his shadow clones. Blowing cover to help Haruno of all people was just stupid.

"More importantly, there's an S rank ninja in the forest with us," said Naruto. The news was troubling to say the least.

"S rank…that's the highest, right?" Akeginu asked.

"Yes."

"Why's it called S rank?" Akeginu wondered.

"Um…good question. I don't really know actually," Naruto confessed. Why were they called S rank?

"So who is this mysterious interloper?" Akeginu asked.

"Orochimaru. He used to be a Leaf ninja. Um...I think he was forced to leave after it was discovered he was performing inhumane experiments on children," Naruto responded.

"Hmm. Do you think he's here for the children participating?" Akeginu asked.

Why was Orochimaru here?

The obvious answer was the Sharingan. In his clones memories, Orochimaru had been fairly candid about his interest in the Uchiha, but if he wanted the Sharingan why didn't he just take it? The Uchiha had awakened it right in front of Orochimaru. Why the juinjutsu? Why the threats to the examiner?

There was clearly a lot more going on at these exams than he initially thought.

"I'm not sure exactly," Naruto answered. "He definitely wants the Uchiha's Sharingan, but there's something else going on."

What was equally troubling was the ease in which Orochimaru had detected his clones. Morons his clones may be, but they did have the same skill set as he did. They would not be detected easily. Yet the Snake Sannin had no trouble detecting either of his clones.

The pertinent question was whether or not Orochimaru had some unique sensory abilities, or whether just any S rank nin could detect him. He couldn't answer that question conclusively at this stage so it was safer to assume the latter. He had only met three S rank ninja in his life and all three had not trouble detecting him when he was trying to conceal his presence.

He glanced Akeginu who was standing next to him on the tree branch. He would have to ask her whether or not she had any ideas on how to improve his stealth. Simple chakra suppression and shinobi-iri (stealth movements) weren't cutting it.

"What's wrong Naruto?" Akeginu asked. She was probably wondering why he had stopped talking.

"I'll tell you later," Naruto replied before turning his attention back to the scene that had held his attention before he received the shadow clone's memories. Although scene probably wasn't the right word to describe what was happening. Carnage, would be the more accurate description.

On the ground, about fifty meters from their position, the Suna jinchūriki —who was apparently named Gaara — had just finished slaughtering three Ame nin with his sand.

"Total defence, huh," murmured Naruto.

"It was nice of that makeup boy to tell us that," said Akeginu, referring to the puppet users earlier comment. It seemed he was also an avid practitioner of revealing vital information to enemies. Naruto still hadn't figured out the logic behind giving away information about your techniques mid-fight, but a lot of ninja like to do it.

_That sand was definitely impressive though, _Naruto thought. His mind was racing with possible ways to circumvent the defence, but there were just too many unknown factors to make a conclusive judgment.

What were the limits of the jutsu? Did it have to be sand? What about soil? Rocks? Was there a limit to how much he could control? Range?

He needed answers to these questions, preferably before the next round. He had seen the finals of a chūnin exam before. The last round of these chūnin exams was always a public fight, one on one. Here, alone in the forest was a much more suitable environment to discover the jinhcuriki's abilities than in the close confines of the stadium where the exams were usually held.

He was momentarily distracted from his thoughts when the Jinchūriki noticed Team 8's presence. They were hiding rather poorly in a the trees south of his position.

_You'd think a team of tracers would be more adept at remaining undetected, _thought Naruto.

He was a bit surprised that Team 8 had not detected him yet. His stealth skills may be at an extremely high level, but escaping the notice of the Byakugan, Aburame clan's bugs and an Inuzuka nin dog, all at the same time was a feet that required more than just good chakra suppression and stealth. He put it down to them being inexperienced and thoroughly distracted by the Suna jinchūriki.

Then, the Suna Team seemed to break out into an argument over whether or not to slaughter Team 8. The jinchūriki seemed to concede, allowing Team 8 time to retreat to safety.

He was a bit disappointed. He was hoping to see a bit more of the jinchūriki's abilities.

_Oh well, I'll just have to do it myself._

Admittedly, he could do this with shadow clones, or he could try to at least. But he disliked accumulating fighting experience with his clones. They were well aware of the fact that they were expendable, and generally put very little effort into avoiding strikes. His body may be able to take a lot of punishment, but he had no intention of getting into such bad habits. Furthermore, clones memories were like watching a movie. The experience always felt detached. You couldn't gain an appreciation for the dangers of fighting through their experiences, let alone learn to adept to things like adrenaline.

Besides, his clones could be dispelled relatively easily. Against any competent nin they would not last more than a few seconds. Their fighting utility lay in being used as distractions, or for techniques like Hayate's Crescent Moon Dance. Using them as your main fighting technique just didn't cut it against stronger opposition.

He turned to Akeginu and said quietly, "I'm going to make my move now. If you can, get close and observe how his defence works. Response time, strength, speed — things like that."

"Okay, Naruto. Be careful," she replied.

Naruto drew an explosive tag from his kosode and attached it to a kunai. It was time to begin.

He waited until the Suna Trio had started walking in the opposite direction.

"Ready," he said to Akeginu. "Go!"

The explosive kunai flew from his hand; its trajectory taking it straight towards the jinchūriki's back.

_Boom!_

Naruto immediately body flickered to another position. As expected, the smoke cleared to reveal a slightly damaged sand shield. The shield dissolved to reveal, the jinchūriki, completely unharmed.

"What was that?" The puppet user asked as he got off the ground. He had dived to the ground when he heard the explosion.

The jinchuriki didn't reply; he was looking intently towards the position where Naruto had just been.

_Interesting…I know he didn't sense me, but he still blocked the kunai. I guess his defence really is automatic, _observed Naruto. _It's time to find out how strong that sand really is._

He darted out from his hiding place, and sprinted straight at the jinchūriki. As he ran, he created three shadow clones, which immediately disappeared.

_**Mikazuki no Mai (Dance of the Cresent Moon).**_

His clones reappeared behind the jinchūriki and simultaneously charged towards him. Their movements were completely synchronized.

Suddenly, Gaara's sand took on a new shape. Four large streams of sand shot out towards Naruto and his clones. They were like the tentacles of a cephalopod, trying to catch its prey. It gave the jinchūriki impressive range.

However, they were a bit cumbersome. When the strands tried to grasp him, he agilely flipped around them, and he could see in his peripheral visions that his clones were doing the same.

All four of them struck at the same time.

_Clang!_

It was like hitting rock.

_Shit._

He substituted with a log just as the sand fell down around him.

_A bit too close for my liking, _thought Naruto as he reappeared at the edge of the clearing. His clones hadn't been so lucky. All three of them had dispelled under the weight of the sand.

_So...he's compacted the sand to such a degree that only the strongest attacks would be able to penetrate it, _observed Naruto. It didn't matter that his katana was considerably heavier than senbon, he wouldn't be breaking through that shield with just his katana alone. He also noticed that the jinchūriki hadn't moved a single step since their fight started, nor had his companions moved to intervene.

_So they expect him to win that easily. _He had seen the same thing when they fought the Ame team. It was like they had the utmost confidence in their jinchūriki's abilities, like the notion that he could lose was a foreign concept to them. He would have to change that.

The jinchūriki didn't waste any time following up his attack. Naruto dived to the right just as several clumps of sand appeared at his feet.

He had seen the same technique used against the Ame team. The jinchūriki basically just chased you with his sand until he immobolised you. It made movement critical. Stand still and you die.

The sand clumps dispersed after Naruto moved and reformed back into large streams of sand, which surged after Naruto, forcing him to evade. He was just _physically_ fast enough to avoid them. With the exception of maneuvering his clones for the Crescent Moon Dance; he hadn't resorted to chakra-enhanced movement just yet.

A few grains of sand brushed against his face as he narrowly dodged another swipe from one of the arms of sand.

_This is no good, _thought Naruto as he ducked under another arm. He was stuck on the defensive. Had it been any other genin they would be starting to tire by now. It wasn't an issue for him, but just evading wouldn't win him a fight.

So, Naruto stopped moving — it was time to counter.

He brought two fingers to his lips as the four streams of sand surged towards him, their points sharpened so that they would piece straight through him on contact.

_**Senpuu Kamaitachi.**_

A perceptive individual might of noticed the subtle distortion in air as he commenced the devastating wind technique. Imperceptible streams of wind swayed towards him like ribbons caught in a breeze.

Then, the strands of wind warped, distorted, and created four pockets of concentrated pressure. The pressure in turn gave birth to the creation of four vortexes, which appeared directly in front of each of the four streams of sand.

They were destroyed instantly.

The sand stood no chance against the centrifugal forces generated by Kamaitachi. **(6)**

"No way!" The kunoichi yelled.

"What the hell?!" The puppet user was equally surprised that he destroyed the sand creations so easily.

In truth it wasn't anywhere near that easy. Creating four vacuums at the same time was hard, and was the result of years of training. It was also the maximum amount he could create at any one time. It wasn't a question of stamina since Kamaitachi originally was designed to be used without chakra. But that was in combination with a kama. He and Akeginu had since amended the technique to be used without the kama by replacing the scythe with chakra and wind manipulation. But even with the change it only used small amounts of chakra. He could use it all day if he liked.

No, it was a question of control. Creating one vacuum took an extreme amount of skill at wind manipulation. The only reason he could make four at the same time was because of his wind affinity. Creating anymore was currently beyond his current level of control and may very well be impossible.

The jinchūriki just stared intently at Naruto, a warped smile growing on his face. He said, "You…you stopped my—

— _Click._

The jinchūriki's eyes widened in surprise as Naruto's katana sliced right through his chest. Naruto had covered the thirty or so meters between them in the blink of an eye.

Naruto, however, frowned; instead of flesh and blood, he felt his katana scrap against something brittle.

_What the? _Naruto's eyes briefly widened in surprise before he stepped back out of range of Gaara's sand with a burst of chakra enhanced movement.

Naruto looked over at the Suna jinchūriki with interest. The jinchūriki hadn't moved, but was staring at the large gash on his chest. Naruto could see small hairline cracks appearing around the cut, but no blood.

_So, he's got another layer of armor covering his body, _Naruto observed._ It must be very shallow though. I doubt it would stop a lethal blow._

He hadn't tried to kill the jinchūriki with that move, only wound him shallowly with the edge of his katana. As he told Akeginu earlier, he wasn't prepared to kill the jinchūriki just yet.

The jinchūriki ceased examining his chest and looked Naruto. His eyes were wide, and bloodshot. He held his head with both hands, and started talking to himself.

"Yes mother…we will have his blood."

_Mother?_

"Oh, no…Kankuro, he's losing control," said the Kunoichi in an extremely worried tone.

_Is she talking about the Ichibi? _Naruuto wondered with concern.

"Shit," said the puppeteer.

Sand exploded around him, far more volatile and unpredictably than before.

Naruto flickered easily past the sand attacks. Now that he was enhancing his movements with chakra he could easily avoid the sand.

_The sand can't keep up with my shunshin,_ Naruto observed as he effortlessly avoided the chasing sand like a fast wind that was just beyond its grasp.

He flicked around the jinchūriki, forcing him to spin around and try and track his movements. However, he was too slow, he couldn't track Naruto's movements at all.

There was a reason why Naruto could keep up with jōnin like Yūgao. Back when he had first started learning shunshin and Akeginu discovered that a person could enhance their movement with chakra, she had made to drop everything so that he could master the technique. In her words, 'speed trumps everything.' It was particularly true for swordsmen.

Now, years later, he could confidently say that he was one of the fastest ninja in the village. **(7)**

Naruto flickered past another wave of sand, before responding. This time he stepped straight through the jinchūriki's defence and drove his katana through the jinchūriki's shoulder.

Or so he thought.

Naruto had stabbed enough people in the shoulder before to recognize the sensation, and what he had just stabbed was definitely _not_ a human shoulder. To begin with, it was hollow.

His eyes widened in surprise as Gaara crumbled into pieces revealing a hollow shell.

_A solid clone…Ugh, that's so annoying._

The ground behind him exploded in a shower of Sand, as the jinchuriki reappeared. He had been hiding in the sand.

_Clever, _thought Naruto as he flipped forward over the broken sand clone, and dodged the waves of sand that surged towards him.

As he came to a stop he channelled wind along his blade. The ethereal blades of wind, distorted the air along the edge of his katana.

"No way!" He heard the kunoichi exclaim in shock.

Ignoring her, he shot straight at the jinchūriki. This time he slowed down — he wanted to see if his chakra flow was sufficient to break through the shield.

Predictably, the jinchūriki's sand shield appeared in the form a wall.

Instead of slashing Naruto stabbed, and drove his katana into the shield. There was some initial resistance , but then he felt his katana sink through the shield as the wind coating his blade separated the sand.

Before he could pierce all way through his senses flashed a warning. Reacting on instinct, he ducked just as several senbon passed over his head.

Naruto glanced back at where the senbon had come from. The puppet user had his doll out.

He sighed in annoyance. He really didn't want people interfering, so…

_Slash._

Naruto katana cut straight through the puppet, as he instantly appeared right next to it. The puppet user had no time to react as his puppet crumpled to the ground in several pieces.

"Karasu!"

Naruto may not have wanted to kill the jinchūriki, but he had no hesitancy about killing this idiot. He raised his katana to cut the unwanted interference down, but instead flipped backwards as a powerful blast of wind struck right where he had been standing.

Naruto followed the destructive path of the wind to see the Suna kunoichi with her fan out.

_So she doesn't require hand seals…interesting, _thought Naruto as he canceled his wind chakra and sheathed his katana.

He decided to take out the more immediate threat.

A powerful burst of speed brought him directly in front of the kunoichi.

_Click._

He katana flew from the saya and —

_Clang!_

It impacted with her fan sending her skidding backwards. _Her reaction time was certainly good_, he thought as he used the momentum generated by his charge to spin and lash out with a with a straight kick to her solar plexus. The kick sent her flying back several meters and crumpling to the ground.

"Temari!" The puppet user yelled in concern for his teammate.

Naruto turned back to the jinchūriki who was watching him dismantle his teammates without a care in the world.

"It's a bit too crowded here," Naruto told the jinchūriki. "If you wish to continue, follow me."

He then disappeared in a shunshin and headed deeper into the forest.

The jinchūriki ignored his teammate's cry to wait and charged after him.

* * *

Naruto darted from tree to tree. He wasn't going too fast, he wanted the walking sand storm behind him to be able to follow.

He had one last thing he wanted to find out before leaving the forest. Was the jinchūriki susceptible to genjutsu?

In theory yes, but jinchūriki were a special case when it came to genjutsu, so he needed to be certain.

One of the standard —and in his opinion best — ways of breaking a genjutsu was to introduce foreign chakra into your system. For most, this requires someone else such as a teammate to break you out of the genjutsu, but jinchūriki have a second source of chakra readily available inside their bodies. Provided they can control their Biju's chakra, a jinchūriki should be able to break all but the strongest genjutsu. Of course, this was contingent upon them recognizing they were caught in one.**(8)**

So far he had seen no evidence that the boy behind him was capable of controlling his Biju's chakra. The sand manipulation was similar to his own genjutsu. It was an ability granted by the presence of the Biju. It didn't actually require use of the Biju's chakra. Naruto had only ever used Kurama's chakra once, and that was to regrow his arm.

The jinchūriki arrived with the subtlety of a Biju in heat —

_**Excuse me! That was a little distasteful, **_Kurama complained.

He ignored her and paid attention to the jinchūriki who had just knocked over several trees with his sand.

"Come out!" The jinchūriki yelled. "Mother wants your blood!"

He didn't know who this mother was, or if it was the Ichibi or not, but if she wanted his blood than she would get it.

_**Genjutsu: Akai Shinkirō(Genjutsu: Red Mirage).**_

* * *

"W-what is this? Kankuro, are you seeing this?" Temari asked as she looked around in amazement.

"'Am I seeing this?' — It's a giant cloud of blood. How could I not be seeing this?" Kankuro asked incredulously. He was still crying over his broken toy.

_Idiot, _she thought. _Can't he take this a little more seriously? Gaara's totally lost it._

"Kankuro," she said sternly. "We need to find Gaara quickly."

"Yeah, I know sis, but how? I can't see more than a few feet in this mist."

_I'll have to try blowing it away with my fan, _thought Temari.

"Did you see how fast that guy was? He blew past Gaara's shield like it was nothing," said Kankuro.

_Don't remind me, _she thought.

"Not to mention those other attacks. What do you think that attack was that blasted Gaara's sand apart?" Kankuro asked.

She frowned as she remembered that jutsu. She had never seen anything like it before. It felt like wind was being used, but that couldn't be right. Wind cut, that jutsu just ripped Gaara's sand completely apart.

She remembered seeing a leaf forehead protector wrapped around his arm. Leaf! She couldn't believe that a Leaf genin was able to take out her and Kankuro, let alone compete, no dominate Gaara.

"I don't know Kankuro," she said to her brother. "But we should hurry. That guy is good enough to hurt Gaara. You saw him break through Gaara's shield. If Gaara loses control here, we're as good as dead."

"Don't have to tell me that. Damn brats."

Temari ignored her idiot brother and opened her fan; she needed to get rid of this mist before it was too late.

* * *

Naruto landed lightly on the forest floor, which now ran red with his blood. He always loved stepping into his red world.

The trees of the forest had all but disappeared under his red mirage, replaced with an endless red haze. The natural ambience of the forest was gone, in its place an eerie silence.

Naruto made his way towards the jinchūriki, unperturbed by the heavy smell of blood, and lack of vision, He had no trouble navigating his own mist.

He found the jinchūriki not far from his own position. But where as the before, the jinchūriki had been an enraged mess bent on nothing but killing him, he now seemed calm. The insane smile and unstable glint in his eyes had been replaced by a look of wonder.

"Mother, look, so much blood," the jinchūriki said.

Naruto frowned as he walked straight up to the jinchūriki. He wasn't worried about being detected, he had used the mirage to make himself invisible and the jinchūriki had shown no signs of recognising the genjutsu, let alone breaking it. The chakra of a Biju was extremely distinct. Unlike human chakra it was primal, and more chaotic. If the jinchūriki started using it, every descent ninja in the entire forest would notice.

_What have they done to you? _Naruto wondered. He couldn't help but look at the Suna jinchūriki and think about how easily he could have ended up just like him.

The jinchūriki was obviously unstable. He was staring at his blood mist in absolute fascination. What had he gone through to make him like this? It was like they had conditioned him love bloodshed. Nothing more than a rabid attack dog.

Naruto looked at the kanji on the jinchūriki's forehead. It wasn't a tattoo like he originally suspected, it had been carved into his head. _Self-mutilation or torture?_Naruto wondered. Neither were particularly attractive answers.

He sighed. He could kill the jinchūriki right here, right now. He could put him out of his misery with a simple flick of his wrist.

But he didn't.

Concern over the consequences of that action stayed his hand. Well, that, and general curiosity about his fellow jinchūriki. So instead of slitting the jinchūriki's throat, and leaving him to die, Naruto brushed his index fingers across the boy's throat, leaving a thin red line.

With that done he disappeared.

The mist cleared shortly after leaving a confused Gaara, and a thin red line, an overt reminder of just how close he had come to dying.

* * *

Twenty minutes after leaving the jinchūriki Naruto arrived at his destination — the tower in the middle of the forest.

"Are you okay Naruto?" Akeginu asked. "You seen a little distracted."

Naruto turned to her, "I'm fine. I'm just a little…well, yeah, I suppose I am distracted."

His mind was still on the Suna jinchūriki, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. At the very least he would have something to think about after this test was finished.

"Are you still worried about that sand boy?" Akeginu asked with concern.

"Yes," he said with a sigh. "Suna has turned him into nothing but a mindless weapon. I wonder how close the old man came to doing the same thing with me?"

"Naruto, you can't know the answer to that. Thinking about it will only drive you crazy," replied Akeginu. "The only thing that matters is that you ended up fine…better than fine really."

It was interesting. All ninja were weapons. He considered himself one. So why did this bother him so much?

"I suppose you're right," said Naruto.

"Of course I am. When have I ever steered you wrong?"

Naruto looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Well…there was that time when you sent me to get one of Tenzen's scrolls and I almost died because you didn't warn me about the mutli-layered booby-trap."

"I don't recall such an event ever occurring," said Akeginu with certainty.

"You can't just not remember stuff that makes you look bad," said Naruto incredulously. "Besides…I have the scars to prove it."

"Well, we're here," announced Akeginu as they entered the tower.

"Don't just ignore me."

Akeginu ignored him, and went on ahead.

Naruto let out an irritated sigh and followed the unilateral conversation-ending woman into the tower.

* * *

"Well, that wasn't too difficult," Naruto said as he entered the tower. He was looking around, but saw no other competitors or examiners.

"It was never going to be much of a challenge with all the other genin so far beneath your skill level, but this business with that Orokimachu person sounds promising," said Akeginu.

That was not quite how he saw it.

"It's Orochimaru, and I don't think promising is the word you're looking for," Naruto replied.

They continued on into the tower, until they came face to face with a bad analogy on a wall. The message was pretty clear; he needed to open both scrolls.

He pulled out both scrolls and opened them away from his face —it's never a good idea to open an unknown scroll in front of your face, they could literally contain anything.

Smoke started emanating from the scrolls. Recognising what was about to happen, he dropped the scrolls on the ground. They opened with a puff of smoke; revealing Iruka who was standing with his arms crossed trying to pull off some sort of 'cool guy' pose.

Naruto rolled his eyes, and greeted the academy teacher, "Hey, scar face."

Iruka twitched irritably and dropped the pose, "Call me sensei Naruto, or Iruka at least."

"Meh, I'll think about it," Naruto lied.

Iruka twitched again and mumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'little bastard'.

The chūnin pulled out a pocked watched and checked the time. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Wow! You're pretty early Naruto, I wasn't expecting you for a few days at least," said Iruka. He then took in Naruto's appearance, noting the lack of wounds. "You don't look like you had much trouble."

Naruto gave the chūnin a shrug. "The test was fairly easy. I got my scroll fairly early on, so there wasn't much point in staying there any longer than I had to. I've got some shadow clones monitoring persons of interest."

"Persons of interest?" Iruka asked.

"Oh, that reminds me. There's an S rank missing nin running around in there. I don't know if that's part of the test, or not, but you might want to— I don't know — send ANBU in or something, maybe call the old man."

"Wait! What?!" Iruka exclaimed.

"Yeah, he said his name was Orochimaru. I'm pretty sure he's the same Orochimaru who's wanted for treason, and all those inhuman experiments. You know, the Snake Sannin. He used to be a Leaf ninja."

"I know who Orochimaru is Naruto," Iruka said in an annoyed tone. "I'm an academy teacher remember."

Naruto resisted the urge to point out that being associated with that place wasn't exactly a good representation of one's abilities. Instead, he just decided to raise one of the academy's many shortcomings — Its inability to inform the students of the actual dangers they would be facing once they became ninja.

"I wasn't sure on account his name never being mentioned in the academy… at all… in the slightest…ever."

"It's…a sore point," Iruka conceded.

"So I gathered," Naruto replied. "Still, you'd think informing rookie ninja of the potential threats they would be facing would be standard policy."

"Okay Naruto," Iruka said with a sigh. "We need to go find a jōnin and report this."

Iruka put his hands on Naruto's shoulder and the pair disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

It had only taken Naruto sixty-three minutes to complete the second part of the exam.

* * *

Naruto and Iruka re-appeared amidst a cloud of smoke in one of the upper floors of the tower.

"All right Naruto, follow me," Iruka instructed. "The monitoring station for these exams is up ahead."

They opened the door to the monitoring station to find the examiner of the second phase, Mitarashi Anko, in deep discussion with a couple of ANBU operatives. Naruto was pretty sure he knew exactly what they were talking about.

Their arrival attracted the attention of all three ninja.

"What is it?" Anko asked curtly. She sounded annoyed. Naruto didn't know if it was because of the arse kicking she had received earlier or their interruption.

"Um…," Iruka said nervously ."Naruto here has just told me that Orochimaru is currently in Training Ground 44."

Anko and the ANBU operatives gave each other a knowing look before turning to face Naruto and Iruka.

"Explain," ordered the Boar masked ANBU.

"After Naruto finished the second phase of the exam—"

"Wait, wait. How can you be finished already?" Anko asked Naruto.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"You broke the record by over four hours," explained Anko.

Naruto shrugged, "The exam was pretty easy."

"It can take jōnin days to get through there, and you don't even have a scratch on you!" Anko exclaimed.

Naruto shrugged. He didn't care, it just sounded like the jōnin needed more training.

"Anyway," continued Iruka, "Naruto told me that Orochimaru was in the forest so I brought him straight here."

"Where did you see Orochimaru?" The Bird masked ANBU asked.

"I saw him twice. Once when he was beating you the shit out of you with a shadow clone." Naruto pointed to Anko.

"Thanks for the help," Anko muttered.

"It was a shadow clone. I doubt it would have been much help. Besides, doesn't Orochimaru bingo book profile warn again ANBU Teams attacking him? You'd have to be _suicidal _or somethingto take him on alone."

"You little —"

"Enough!" The Bird ANBU cut Anko off. "Uzumaki, continue your report."

"Okay. One of my clones also observed him attacking Team Seven. He placed a juinjutsu on the Uchiha," Naruto explained.

"You've just confirmed what Orochimaru told Mitarashi-san," said the Bird ANBU.

Before they could continue a chūnin barged into the room.

"Anko-san!" A chūnin yelled from the doorway.

_He looks rather excited, _thought Naruto.

"What?" Anko asked; her tone annoyed. "We're in the middle of something here."

"There's something I need to report," the chūnin replied.

"What else could go wrong?" Anko muttered under her breath.

The chūnin ran over to the recording equipment. Naruto noticed that he had a tape in his hands. "Look at this. Two team have already completed the test!"

"Two?" Anko asked while glancing at Naruto.

Everyone in the room looked towards the screen with interest, except Naruto, he was pretty sure the footage would show him and the Suna trio.

As expected, the first image on screen was Naruto. Though you couldn't really tell since the hood covered his face.

"You look good on television Naruto," commented Akeginu.

Naruto flashed her a grin.

The next image showed the three Suna trio like Naruto had expected. The jinchūriki glared at the camera as he walked past. Naruto could see the red line was still present on the jinchūriki's neck.

Naruto looked at the time in the bottom corner of the screen. They had made it to the tower half-an hour after him.

"How is it possible that two teams past the test that quickly?" Anko asked. She seemed shocked that her test had been past so easily. Not just once, but twice.

"It's very abnormal," the chūnin added. "There's no way these guys are regular genin…to demolish the previous record by over four hours.

_Really? Four hours. Itachi must have taken it easy when he did it,_ thought Naruto. Though, if he remembered correctly Itachi would have been much younger when he took the test, so maybe that's why.

"That not all," said Anko.

"What do you mean?" The chūnin asked.

"It's 10km from the entrance to the tower. Wild beasts, insects, rough terrain... These guys made it through as if it were nothing. How did you do it?"

That last question was directed at Naruto. He refrained from laughing at the startled look on the chūnin's face when he finally noticed him in the room.

"Like I said, it was an easy —"

He tilted his head to the side and caught the kunai that was tossed at his face, courtesy of Anko. He gave her a wry smile before pocketing the kunai. "Thank you for the present."

"Hey that's mine!"

"Correction — It was yours. "

"Hehe, I like you gaki," said Anko with a blood thirst smirk. "You're Yūgao's kid, right?"

"No. As far as I'm aware Yūgao-sensei is without child," replied Naruto with mock seriousness.

"Ohhh," Anko drawled. "Now you're just asking for trouble. Yūgao would kill you if she heard that …maybe I should do it for her."

"You can try," Naruto replied. 'If you can' was heavily implied by his tone.

"Stop flirting with that woman Naruto," Akeginu ordered.

He would have responded that he was _not _flirting, but couldn't due to the company in the room. By sounds of Akeginu laughing she knew it too.

"How did you make it through forest Naruto?" Iruka was trying to diffuse the situation before Anko got carried away and the blood started flying.

Naruto gave shrugged. "There's not much to it. I stayed up high and moved through the forest using the tree branches. Most of the bigger predators and traps are down below, on the forest floor. You can avoid them by moving through the canopy," Naruto explained.

"That's how we do it," said the bird ANBU.

"The only time I actually touched the forest floor was to engage other teams, and I only did so after checking for traps," Naruto continued.

"Teams? You fought more than one?" Iruka asked.

"Mmhm. Several," said Naruto as he pulled out the spare earth scroll he had. "What do we do with spares?"

"Um…I'll take that Naruto," said Iruka, taking the scroll from Naruto.

"You fought two teams?" The other chūnin asked in disbelief. "But you don't have a scratch on you!"

"Neither does that brown haired guy." Anko pointed out the Suna jinchūriki on the screen.

"I don't like the look in that guys eyes. I wonder what his abilities are?" The Bird ANBU wondered out loud.

"He's a jinchūriki."

You could hear a pin drop as Naruto shared that little piece of news.

"W-what?" Anko asked as if she didn't hear what he just said.

"He's a jinchūriki. The jinchūriki of the Ichibi if you want to be precise," explained Naruto.

"The Ichibi…" Iruka sounded like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"How do you know this?" The Boar ANBU asked.

_At least someone's on the ball._

Naruto turned to the man, "I'm a sensor, and a jinchūriki myself. I can tell when another one's close by," Naruto answered. "I can also tell you…his seal is very weak. Makes you wonder what the hell Suna is thinking by sending him here."

"Shit," cursed Anko.

Naruto felt that he should point it out. Chances were that the Hokage already knew, but there was no point in not being careful.

"Anyway, I thought you should know. Am I done here?" Naruto asked.

Iruka looked at the ANBU and Anko who all nodded their heads.

"All right, come with me Naruto. I'll show you you're room." Iruka motioned him to follow.

"One moment," said the Bird ANBU, "Uzumaki. Everything we discussed here must be kept in the strictest confidence. Understood?"

"Don't worry. I know how sensitive this information is," Naruto replied.

The ANBU gave Iruka and Naruto the go ahead to leave.

* * *

_**Four Days Later**_

Naruto looked down onto the courtyard at the bottom of the tower. It was abuzz with activity. After four days of waiting it was finally time for the next phase of the exams. Personally, he couldn't be happier. Although he passed the time practicing his blood projection and going over the memories from his clones out in the forest, sitting around for four days was still a bore.

Down in the courtyard, the old man, along with all the jōnin-sensei, and examiners were standing in front of the few genin that had managed to pass the second test. There were also a few ANBU sprinkled about, though they were hidden from view.

Yūgao was present as well, standing next to Hayate who Naruto assumed to be an examiner.

Naruto hadn't joined everyone down in the courtyard, preferring the vantage point afforded to him by the second floor. Instead, he sent out one of his shadow clones, complete with orange tracksuit, to take his place in the formation. The look on the old man's face was priceless. Naruto doubted the old man was ever expecting to see that orange monstrosity ever again. Yūgao reaction was bit different; she just looked annoyed at his antics.

He noted with interest that the old man and the Oto jōnin were the only ones that noticed his presence on the second floor.

_The Oto-jōnin is good, whoever he is._

Naruto cast his gaze across the genin present. Eight of the twenty-seven teams had passed, which meant that there were twenty-two genin left, including himself.

_It looks like most of them had a tough time in the forest, _thought Naruto as he noted the various bruises and injuries his fellow genin had incurred.

They all seemed to be eying each other off, assessing the competition. Several were staring pointedly at the Uchiha for some reason.

Naruto turned back to the old man who was going on about the 'true reason for the exam'.

"You were right Naruto. These exams are all about prestige," said Akeginu. She had been paying more attention to the speech than he had.

"It certainly an improvement over all out war," Naruto commented. Though the security it provided was minimal. If one village got desperate or confident enough, so much so that they had to or could afford to risk war, then nothing would stop the conflict.

Money, client contracts, these things were finite resources. It was inevitable that conflict would eventually break out. These exams were only a temporary substitute.

"Actually (cough) I apologize Hokage-sama. From here on, as the referee…will you please allow me, Gekkou Hayate to explain," said Hayate.

_So Hayate is an examiner…I hope he doesn't make any long speeches or we'll be here all day._

"Before the third test begins, (cough) there's something I'd like you to do (cough). Um…it's a preliminary for the third test. To decide who gets to participate in the main event."

"Preliminary?" Haruno asked.

"What do you mean?!" Shikarmaru exclaimed. The outburst was a little out of character for him. It was possible that the injuries, constant threat of death, and lack of sleep may have tried his patience just a bit too far.

"Why aren't people allowed to participate in the next test?" Haruno asked.

"Because, the first and second test may have been too easy this year (cough). We have too many people remaining (cough). According to the chūnin exams rules, we must have a preliminary test and reduce the number of participants for the third test (cough).

"No way…"

"As the Hokage indicated earlier, there will be many guests at the third exam (cough). So the fights could take too long, we are limited in time…"

"They have to filter out the crud." Akeginu interpreted Hayate's speech a little harshly, but she was right. The chūnin exam finals was a showpiece, they only wanted the best on display.

"So anyway, those who are not feeling well (cough), or those who feel like quitting after these explanations. Please come forward. We will be starting immediately (cough)."

"Um… I'd like to quit."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the silver haired genin, who volunteered to quit.

"You're Yakushi Kabuto from Leaf right? (cough) You may leave now," said Hayate.

From above, Naruto watched with the silver haired genin make his exit.

_Kabuto, huh._ His actions were highly suspicious, both here and during the second test. There was no logical reason to retire now, even if injured. You could always forfeit if you got a bad draw. He might have drawn Haruno or Ino, and had an easy win.

Naruto also had a clone tracking Kabuto's team during the second test. He knew that the silver haired 'genin' had gone out of his way to contact the Uchiha, despite already having a scroll. He was also hiding his abilities significantly.

Kabuto was definitely a spy, Naruto concluded. Though he couldn't say who Kabuto was working for at this stage. Giving his interest in the Uchiha, Orochimaru was the obvious answer. But he had no evidence to confirm that just yet. Kabuto could be working for the same people as Sai, or even one of the other hidden villages. The Sharingan was an extremely well known and highly regarded bloodline. There would be plenty of parties interested in taking it.

"Um…does anyone else want to retire?" Hayate asked. "I should mention at this stage…you will be battling individually (cough)."

There was a brief moment of silence, and then, much to the shock of his teammates, Sai raised his hand.

"Sai, what are you doing?!" Haruno asked in disbelief.

Sai responded in that calm voice of his, "I'm still injured from my fight with the snake, forehead. I'm in no condition for a one on one battle."

It wasn't surprising to Naruto. He doubted Sai's master would want him showcasing his unique skills to the public, let alone other hidden villages. He also doubted Sai was actually a genin to begin with. **(9)**

"Um…Now (cough), There are no more people retiring, right?" Hayate asked.

That question caused a bit of a commotion amongst what was left of Team 7.

"Sasuke-kun, you should also quit this prelim," Haruno told the Uchiha. "You've been acting strange ever since that Orochimaru guy attacked you. If you continue…"

_Stupid girl. She just told everyone in the room about the juinjutsu and Orochimaru's presence._

Haruno started crying. "Please quit…I'm afraid. You are in no condition to fight right now!"

She was right about that. The Uchiha looked like he could barely stand. However, the Uchiha didn't agree with her and told her as much.

Naruto really wasn't interested in the Uchiha reasons for continuing. Revenge, living as an avenger, he couldn't care less. However, what he was interested in was the way the Uchiha was reacting to the juinjutsu. His clone had watched that debacle between the rookies and the Oto team in the forest, so he knew that when the juinjutsu activated in resulted in a significant increase in power. But right now, the Uchiha looked to be in a lot of pain.

Juinjutsus were forbidden techniques a reason. While information on them was scarce, he did know that a juinjutsu allowed you to control another person. How it did that varied between each jutsu. It could be through pain, mind control, or more subtle influences. He was interested to know if pain was the controlling element here or if it was merely a side effect of the juinjutsu.

"Um (cough) …now let's begin the preliminaries. This preliminary will consist of one on one fighting. Basically, you will fight as if in a real life confrontation. Since we know have 20 entrants, we will now conduct ten matches and…um…the winners will advance to the third test."

"Straight up confrontations. Easy enough, but how are you going to proceed," Akeginu asked.

Naruto took a moment to consider the question.

"Unless I'm facing the jinchūriki, I'll use genjutsu or taijutsu. There's no point in showing off too much just yet, especially since there's another round of fights after this."

The advantage of genjutsu was that unless the illusion was a wide spread one, such as his Red Mirage, only the recipient would be affected, and thus know what the illusion was. All anybody watching the fight would be able to conclude was that he could use genjutsu, and that was reasonable a well-established fact these days.

The advantage of using taijutsu was that it was something he rarely relied on. He wouldn't be losing any advantage by showcasing some jujitsu.

Back down in the courtyard Hayate was finishing up his explanation of the rules.

"I decide when the winner had been clearly established (cough). Since we don't want to pointlessly increase the amount of corpses, I'll jump in and stop things."

_So no killing then, _Naruto noted.

"This electronic scoreboard will decide the matchups (cough). Now, this is sudden, but let's announce the first two names," Hayate continued.

_**Uchiha Sasuke v Akado Yoroi**_

* * *

Naruto watched from the second floor as the Uchiha decided to engage an opponent who could absorb chakra by touch, in a taijutsu match, _without_ his Sharingan.

_Well…that was a seriously bad move_, thought Naruto. Kakashi had obviously neglected teaching the Uchiha much in the way of tactics.

Why choose taijutsu? The only logical conclusion he could think of was that the Uchiha couldn't use chakra at the moment. If that was the case, it was most likely because of that seal on his neck. Still, against this type of opponent taijutsu was a bad option; the Uchiha should have at least resorted to using weapon's first.

_He doesn't even have a tanto on him, _thought Naruto as he observed the fight.

Even facing those disadvantages, the Uchiha still should have won the match when he got this Yoroi guy in an arm lock. He had perfect access to the radial and ulnar arteries. A simple cut with his kunai would have left the opponent in immediate need of medical attention. At the very least it would have robbed Yoroi of one of his arms.

But he didn't and his opponent promptly escaped. Things went downhill for the Uchiha from there. He just didn't have the options needed to come out on top.

"He should have had a sword with him," commented Akeginu.

She was right. Kenjutsu would have been the perfect counter to the Yoroi's skill. Unfortunately for the Uchiha, he didn't have a katana, and Naruto certainly wasn't going to lend him his.

_I still don't understand why kenjutsu isn't mandatory at the academy._

Eventually, the Uchiha succumbed to the juinjutsu and black markings started appearing spreading across his skin like miniatures black flames. His chakra started fluctuating before it exploded. You didn't have to be a sensor to feel the power coming off the Uchiha.

To Naruto, it felt dark and unnatural. He couldn't begin to conceive how Orochimaru developed the juinjutsu to make it give off that type of aura.

Before the situation could get any worse Kakashi appeared and hit the Uchiha on the back of the neck. Kakashi's interference effectively stopped the fight, forcing Hayate to declare Yoroi the winner.

"Winner, Akado Yoroi." **(10)**

"No way," Naruto heard Sakura call out rather loudly. "Sasuke-kun lost."

Naruto watched with a frown as Kakashi carried his student away. It was becoming clear who called the shots on that team. It was negligent in the extreme to allow the Uchiha to compete with that seal on his neck. He probably should have died just then or at the very least lost control. Naruto's opinion of Kakashi was dropping ever time he saw the man. Skilled ninja he might be, but he was an appalling sensei.

"What did you think of the fight?" A voice surprised him from behind.

_What!_

Naruto spun to see who had managed to sneak up on him and came face to face with the Oto jōnin.

_Shit, I didn't even sense him —_

— _**Naruto...**_

_I know Kurama. I can sense it now that he's standing right in front of me._

Orochimaru. It had to be the Snake Sannin. Even Yūgao couldn't sneak up on him like that.

It was amazing really. The man must have Kage level chakra reserves yet he couldn't sense anything from him except for the same sensation he felt from the Uchiha just then, though a lot subtler.

_I suppose this is what everyone else feels like when I sneak up on them…I'm still going to keep doing it._

Naruto could see out of the corner of his eye that Akeginu was shocked as well. She hadn't sensed him either then. "Tread carefully Naruto. This man is extremely dangerous."

She didn't need to tell him that.

He tried to relax his muscles. It wouldn't do him any good to let Orochimaru know that he'd been found out.

Unfortunately, the knowing smile Orochimaru was giving him suggested that he failed miserably. Naruto didn't know what gave him away. It was probably a tensing of muscles or a small dilation of the pupils. The Snake Sannin was probably an expert at reading body movements, so it could have been anything.

Naruto glanced across the courtyard to Yūgao who was standing near Yuuhi-san, and the rest of the Leaf nin. He was regretting his decision to seclude himself in the far corner of the courtyard right now.

He didn't raise the alarm though. He liked his head where it was. The old man probably wouldn't appreciate him starting a fight with an S rank nin with so many genin and chūnin present anyway. It would end in a blood bath.

So instead, Naruto decided to play the Snake Sannin's game.

"It merely confirmed what most people already know, an Uchiha can't fight without their Sharingan, Oto Jōnin-san."

"Is that so," said Orochimaru. The man's grin stretched inhumanly wide. "I suppose it was a bit of a disappointment. I confess, I was hoping for a lot more from the _last _Uchiha."

You didn't have to be perceptive to pick up on the desire in the Snake Sannin's voice. The man was well known for his voracious hunger for jutsus. The Sharingan was the ultimate prize for someone like him.

"Maybe, but there's much stronger people here," replied Naruto. He nodded in the direction of the Suna trio. "The Suna team for one. Any one of them could have comfortably bested the Uchiha." Naruto nodded in the direction of Gai's team, "So could the Hyūga on Team Gai."

"Oh, and what about you Naruto-kun?"

Naruto tried not to wince at the familiar manner in which the man was addressing him. It was no doubt designed to unsettle him.

He turned and looked at Orochimaru. "I can handle myself just fine."

"I think you can do a bit more than that Naruto-kun, if the reports from Wave are to believed," said Orochimaru. "Few can claim to have killed one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist."

_It figures that Orochimaru would know more about me than most of the Konoha nin…Why aren't I surprised by that?_

Naruto was saved from replying to the man by the announcement of the next match.

_**Zaku Abumi v Aburame Shino**_

"If you'll excuse me, I have to go check on my investment. See you later Naruto-kun."

"Well, at least he's honest about it," muttered Naruto as the Snake Sannin disappeared. He was Kakashi's problem now.

_It's a pretty bad indictment of Konoha's security though. The guy's running around like he owns the place._

Calming down, he turned his attention back down to Shino and the Oto nin. Apparently, Orochimaru cared little about how his genin faired. It was too surprising. The man was infamous for his inhuman experiments. It was highly likely that these Oto genin were just a means for him to gain access to his stage of the exam and observe his 'investment'. There were probably completely expendable.

Naruto, however, was interested in this match. He would finally get to see the Aburame clan's bugs first hand.

Notably, the Oto genin had a broken arm — the handy work of the juinjutsu influenced Uchiha — but chose to continue anyway.

_He'll have a tough time fighting with one arm, but that depends on his fighting style. If he doesn't use taijutsu or hand seals then he only has to worry about defence._

If he remembered correctly, the Oto genin was capable of —

— _Boom_!

"Ah, there it is," said Naruto as ground down in the arena exploded.

"What was that?" Akeginu asked.

"Highly pressurised air, I think." There was no trace of explosive material so it must have been a ninjutsu of some sort. There was no water, fire or earth being used either.

Shino had managed to avoid, no mitigate the damage caused by the attack by rolling away. He was also able to counter in the same movement by flanking the Oto nin with his bugs.

It was a very well performed manoeuvrer in Naruto's opinion.

"These are called Kikaichū. They attack their prey in numbers and eat chakra," Shino explained to the Oto genin. It seemed that he was trying to get the Oto nin to surrender by explaining his bugs abilities. It was nice of him, would probably get him killed one day, but nice nonetheless.

"Kikaichū, huh." Naruto was trying to use his sensor abilities to analyze the bugs, but they were interfering with his sensor abilities._ A high pitch frequency_? He wondered.

"Gross," said Akeginu in disgust.

Naruto gave her an odd look.

"What? I don't like bugs," Akeginu defended herself. "Hotarubi put some centipedes in my kimono once…it may have scarred me for life."

"And death as well, apparently."

At least he now knew her weakness. It only took him ten years to find out.

_Now I just need to find some centipedes, _he though evilly.

He turned back to the fight just in time to see the Oto genin's arms… fall off.

"Not bad," he commented. Shino had blocked up the holes in the Oto guy's arms with his bugs without the Oto guy even noticing.

"Impressive." Akeginu turned to him and asked, "How would you deal with that?"

"What? The bugs or Shino?" Naruto asked for clarification.

"Both, since it seems he relies quite heavily on them."

That was true. It was a problem shared by all the ninja clan's in Konoha.

"I could kill him with just my speed and battōjutsu alone, but assuming his bugs were dispersed...I think it would probably be better to fight him a range. Senppu Kamaitachi would be the best option."

The localised vortex created by Senppu Kamaitachi would suck all the bugs in and shred them to pieces. It was a relatively simple way to neutralise the bugs.

* * *

_**Tsurugi Misumi v Kankuro**_

Naruto was interested to see how the puppeteer could fight without his puppet — unless he had others available. Generally speaking, puppeteers were perceived as weak in close quarters combat or if you could isolate them from their puppets. Naruto would now get to see if there was any truth to that stereotype.

As soon as the fight began Misumi ran at Kankuro and quickly bound him in a tight hold.

_Idiot, _thought Naruto. Holds weren't very effective against most shinobi for one reason and one reason only — Kawarimi.

There was a reason why most shinobi who specialised in taijutsu used style that utilised striking rather than grappling.

Years ago, when he first leaned Kawarimi, he and Akeginu had to adapt Iga's jiujutsu based taijutsu to account for the technique. Throws, breaks and pressure points were all still very useful, but most of the holds could only be used on civilians unless he could hurt the ninja before putting them in a hold, like he did in the forest with the Ame nin.

It wasn't much of a concern for Naruto anyway since he preferred kenjutsu.

"Reminds me of Rousai," said Akeginu. "He could do that."

Naruto had heard stories from the Akeginu about the old Iga taijutsu master. The old man didn't use jiujutsu, but his own unique style. Besides reducing rocks to rubble in a single blow, the man was capable of stretching his limbs to inhuman lengths, and contorting his limbs to impossible angles. Naruto had once asked Akeginu about learning the taijutsu style as well as the limb stretching technique, and had been disappointed to find out that it was a style only Rousai could learn. The man's ability to stretch was a combination of a unique bone structure and decades of unpleasant experiments on his own body.

However, Kankuro did not use Kawarimi as expected. Not ten seconds after Misumi grabbed the puppeteer he fell to the ground coughing up blood.

_Poison? Well…that's too not surprising._

Poison was a Suna speciality. Chiyo, Akasuna no Sasori, they were all avid poison users.

He should have known that Kankuro would be one too. Most puppet users utilized it.

* * *

_**Haruno Sakura v Yamanaka Ino**_

This was one fight he had absolutely no interest in. Both _girls_ were the very definition of deadwood, and each very fortunate that they didn't draw anyone else to fight. At best they would get a good beating. At worst they would die, and probably very painfully.

Neither girl had improved at all since academy. From what his clones had seen in the forest Haruno still knew absolutely no jutsu beyond those required to graduate, and Ino was still only capable of her clan's justsu.

At the mention of 'fighting over Sasuke-kun', Naruto had to seriously resist the urge to cut both of them down with a well-aimed dose of killing intent. That would put an end to this farce before it even started. Though the old man probably wouldn't appreciate him interfering with the match.

Haruno commenced the match by making a basic bunshin and charging directly at Ino. Somehow, Ino managed to actually get hit despite the fact Haruno telegraphed her move so obviously people in Iwa saw it coming.

"Ugh, this looks like it's going to take a while," Naruto said to Akeginu.

_**10 minutes later**_

"These girls are disgraceful, " commented Akeginu with disdain. "Why are they talking so much? Isn't this supposed to be mimicking a real fight? I don't understand."

Naruto didn't know how to answer that either. He had no idea what was going on, but he was pretty sure that both girls had done enough to ensure that they weren't made chūnin this year. The match was going on and on simply because both were too incompetent to actual deal a finishing blow.

He just wanted the match to end.

* * *

_**Temari v Tenten**_

Naruto tuned back in after Ino had finally used her clan technique to beat Haruno. Why she had waited so long he had no idea. At the speed —or lack there of— which Haruno moved, Shintenshin was always bound to work. **(11)**

He was interested in seeing Temari fight. If what he had seen in the forest had been any indication then Tintin — who was apparently named Tenten — was going to be annihilated. Unless she had more up her sleeve than she had shown in the forest.

Unfortunately for Tenten that wasn't the case. She may be able to hurl a lot of weapons, but such attacks were useless against a good wind user, and Temari was an excellent wind user.

The problem was that shurikenjutsu was a support skill. A very useful support skill — he utilised it regularly himself — but still a support skill. It relied on surprise and was probably very effective with the support of her two teammates, but in a one on one fight against a competent opponent who had good mobility, it was extremely ineffective, and really only useful as a distraction.

Temari effortlessly dogged the first set of weapons Tenten threw at her, and blew the second back with just as much ease.

The fan seemed to allow Temari to bypass the use hand seals. He doubted it was just the fan itself. Temari was obviously an extremely competent wind manipulator, far too good for a genin actually.

It was becoming pretty apparent that Suna wanted to embarrass Konoha at these exams. They probably held back this team just so they could win this exam.

Tenten pulled out a couple of more scrolls. It seemed a waste to use fuinjutsu for such a rudimentary purpose as shurikenjutsu. Kage no Shurkien jutsu could do the same thing with much less effort.

_Note to self: Learn Kage no Shuriken Jutsu_

Turning back to the fight, Tenten repeated her shuriken attack, but added ninja wire to the strings. It was pointless. Temari had already demonstrated the ability to repel the weapons with ease; merely manipulating the flight path would do nothing.

Temari proved Naruto correct when she unleashed an even more powerful wind attack.

Akeginu commented on the name of the attack. "Kamaitichi. That's an interesting coincidence. "

He agreed. The attacks were different though — very different. Temari's made a large whirlwind that used wind to cut her opponent. He used wind to create a localised vacuum that used centrifugal forces to rip and shred an opponent.

Naruto didn't know if Temari used her attack at full power, but if he used Senpu Kamaitachi against Tenten she would be missing her head right now. Nevertheless, it was a powerful display of ninjutsu. After what he had seen so far, Naruto ranked her just behind himself and the jinchūriki in terms of ability.

While Naruto and Akeginu talked an incident had started down on the ground floor. It seemed that Lee didn't take to kindly to Temari tossing around his teammate like a ragdoll.

He could understand where Lee was coming from…a little. But really, Lee should get some perspective. Relatively speaking, things could have ended much worse for Tenten.

Gai antagonising Gaara probably wouldn't end well either…

* * *

_**Nara Shikamaru v Kin Tsuchi**_

Naruto turned to Akeginu. "This one will be interesting

"Why?" Akeginu asked.

How to explain Shikamaru?

"Shikamaru spent most of the time at the academy sleeping, so I actually have no idea what he's actually capable of. Though it's safe to say he specialises in his clan's jutsu, Kagemane no Jutsu (shadow Imitation Technique). It allows them to manipulate shadows."

"That's a useful skill," Akeginu commented.

"Extremely, though like most clans in Konoha, the Nara clan seems content to rely on their clan jutsu and nothing else," said Naruto before adding, "The clan is also notable for the intelligence of its members. "

"So he's smart?"

"That's up for debate. His results sucked at the academy, but so did mine so..."

"You think he's hiding his abilities?" Akeginu asked.

"It's certainly possible. The academy curriculum was extremely basic, people like Shino, and probably Shikamaru, didn't have to show off their abilities there if they didn't want to."

Down below, the fight commenced with Shikamaru using his clan's jutsu, Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation technique).

While it was certainly a useful jutsu, its nature was supplementary. It needed to be used in combination with other jutsus to be truly effective. That usually wasn't an issue when your teammates were present to provide assistance, but in a one on one fight against a competent opponent, Shikarumu would need other options.

The Oto kunoichi identified Kagemane no Jutsu's main weakness almost immediately, and moved out of the way of the incoming shadow. She then responded by launching several senbon with bell's attached.

_Stupid girl, _thought Naruto. Nara's were one-dimensional. The only thing she had to do to win this fight was avoid linking her shadow to Shikamaru's. So what does she do? She goes ahead and links their shadows for him. No wonder Orochimaru didn't stick around.

Even from where he was, Naruto could see the string — and their shadows — attached to the bells. He had worked with fine wires for close to a decade so spotting a string was quite a simple task for him. Similarly, locating, and noticing shadows, any shadows, was a necessary skills for a Nara. Shikamaru was bound to have noticed the girl's stupidity.

Nevertheless, the girl still managed to hit Shikarmaru with her senbon, but seeing as though Shikamaru was still standing, it was safe to say that they weren't poisoned for some reason. It sort of defeated the purpose of using senbon in the first place in his opinion.

Anyway, the match was as good as over. Shikaramru had full control of he movements and the girl had demonstrated a startling lack of positional awareness by positioning herself directly against the back wall. It was a simple task for Shikamaru to render her unconscious.

_That was a shame. I didn't even get to see what he was actually capable of, _thought Naruto. Like Shino, Shikamaru had done just enough to ensure victory. Though, the Oto girl had pretty much done everything in her power to lose the match, so Shikamaru didn't exactly have to do much.

_**Uzumaki Naruto v Inuzuka Kiba**_

"Finally," said Naruto.

"I would wish you luck, but…you know."

Akeginu didn't think it was going to be much of a challenge beating Kiba.

She was right.

* * *

Kurenai's distinctive crimson eyes glanced at the next match-up on the board.

"Naruto, eh? He won't be able to beat Kiba."

She couldn't say she knew much about the boy — personally at least. She had seen him around town a few times causing general disturbance, but that was the extent of their interaction. In her experience though, ninja who tended to spend more time playing pranks than studying or training don't ever amount to much. His performance at the academy was proof enough of that. Kiba, who had come on in leaps and bounds under her instruction would prove to be far too strong for the boy.

She frowned as realised something. _But what team's Naruto on? Who's teaching him? _She knew he wasn't on either Asuma's or Kakashi's team.

"I wouldn't so sure Kurenai. Naruto might surprise you," announced a voice she recognised.

She turned around to see her friend Yūgao walking towards her.

"Yūgao, what are you doing here?" She asked in confusion. "Weren't you guarding the Hokage?"

"No," her friend replied. "I'm actually here to watch my apprentice."

_Apprentice? _This was news to her. She had kept that awfully quiet.

"Since when do you have an apprentice?" She asked, voicing her confusion.

_And why didn't you tell me?_

"Since this years graduation," Yūgao replied.

She gave Yūgao a questioning look.

Yūgao smiled at her and pointed down to the courtyard. "You'll see."

Kurenai turned around and looked at the courtyard where Kiba was waiting. Suddenly a cloud of…blood materialised.

_Shunshin? That can't be right. Most genin don't know that._

She froze at what happened next.

Out of the blood stepped a figure she would recognise anywhere.

_No way!_

Now, standing in front of Kiba was a figure that had haunted her dreams for years.

The hood was new, but the dark clothes, the unusually long and wide sleeves, the katana…it was all the same. It was him, the one who saved her life.

"But…_that's_ Naruto? How is this possible?"

* * *

**A few moments earlier…**

Hayate waited for the genin to make there way down to the ground floor. Well… one genin, and something else. He didn't know exactly how to classify Naruto — an ANBU masquerading as a genin was more accurate in his humble opinion.

This fight was going to be over very quickly unless Naruto decided to toy with the Inuzuka kid. Knowing Naruto, he doubted that was going to happen. The kid tended to leave messing with people for the training ground, or general conversation. He was usually all business when anything remotely serious occurred.

The Inuzuka kid made his way quickly down to the arena floor, and seemed fairly enthusiastic.

Hayate wondered what the kid was smoking.

"Hya ha ha ha ! The dobe! It's like we've already won. So, lucky! Eh Akamaru? " The Inuzuka kid exclaimed. "Man, I didn't even know the dobe was in these exams. "

_Yep, he's definitely high on something, _Hayate observed. He had tried insulting Naruto once, just to try and get past the kid's calm exterior. He wasn't sure if it worked or not since he woke up in hospital several hours afterwards with little recollection of what happened.

While he banished that bad memory from his mind, Naruto appeared in the middle of the arena with that creepy —but kind of cool — shunshin of his.

Looks like it was time to start the execution — no, fight. He meant it was time to start the fight.

* * *

"Who the hell are you?" Kiba asked Naruto.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto replied curtly.

"The hell you are!" Kiba yelled. "I know the dobe and you aren't him."

Naruto let out an annoyed sight. _You'd think I'd smell the same as my shadow clone, but apparently not. I suppose my clones just smell like ramen._

His hands reached up to his hood and he pulled it back, giving the world a rare glimpse at his face. "Then maybe you don't know Uzumaki Naruto as well as you think you do."

* * *

"I'm sorry to say this Kurenai, but this match is entirely in Naruto's hands," said Yūgao. "How bad your student get's hurt depends entirely on Naruto's mood."

It barely registered with Kurenai. She was busy looking at Naruto.

_The blonde hair, pale skin…blue eyes, there's no doubt, it is him. All this time, and he was right in front of me._

* * *

Kakashi was paying attention now that Naruto was fighting.

_I didn't know he was competing, _thought Kakashi. _I would have thought he would have gotten a promotion for taking down Zabuza…Hokage-sama must want to show off his skills to the public._

"Since when did Naruto look so…so…—

"Forehead, please don't start drooling," said Sai.

Kakashi sighed as Sakura attacked his other 'student'.

He was glad Sasuke wasn't here right now. Seeing Naruto annihilate this Inuzuka would only have excited him.

"Hmm, Naruto eh…I think someone told me something about him once," mumbled Gai to himself.

Kakashi just sweat dropped at Gai. The man had the worst memory on the continent.

* * *

_Cute. It's a shame he's a Leaf nin, _thought Temari as she looked down at the ninja that had attacked them back in the forest. Maybe they'd get the chance to find out some more about his abilities.

"Tch. A pretty boy, I figured as much," muttered her brother.

"Be quiet Kankuro. You're just upset because he broke your toy," Temari said to her brother,

"Karasu is not a toy!"

She ignored him and looked at Gaara. Her brother was gripping the rails tightly and muttering to himself again.

This wasn't good. Not good at all.

* * *

"Wow, Naruto sure has changed," commented Choji.

Ino hit him over the head. "Baka! That's not Naruto."

Shikamaru ignored them, instead choosing to observe what, may or may not have been Naruto. The whisker marks were still there though. But how did he change so much?

_Troublesome. _Never before had a person embodied the concept as much as Naruto had.

Asuma just looked on in boredom. He didn't understand what the fuss was about.

* * *

"He, it doesn't matter how are dress up, a dobe's a dobe. How'd you grow your hair so fast anyway?"

Naruto didn't bother replying to that inane question.

"Dobe, are you wearing perfume?"

Instead of cutting Kiba's head off with an ebon rope Naruto cocked his head and asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Because you smell like white plums."

"If you say so," he replied in a nonchalant tone.

It wasn't surprising that Kiba could smell his pheromones; an Inuzuka's nose was extremely sensitive. Though apparently, Kiba hadn't realised the significance of what that smell meant. You'd think being student to a genjutsu specialist would have made him a touch more observant.

Naruto wasn't aiming his pheromones at Kiba, but his dog Akamaru. Standard protocol when fighting an Inuzuka — take out their dog. Inuzukas are almost completely reliant on their nin dogs. Once you remove them from the equation, defeating an Inuzuka is a much more simpler task. It was over kill against Kiba, but it didn't hurt to start getting into the habit of it. Also, he really wanted to test his genjutsu on an animal.

"You plan on fighting with your dog, yes?" Naruto asked for clarification.

"What? You don't think I win without Akamaru?" Kiba asked. He sounded angry, as if Naruto had just insulted him.

"Well…yes, of course you can't win, but that's not what I was really getting at," Naruto replied honestly. He really just wanted to know if he needed to put the dog asleep or not.

"Hah! The dobe's acting all tough. Akamaru! Stay out of this. I don't need you to win against this loser," said Kiba.

Naruto rolled his eyes at Kiba's stupidity, but he wasn't going to complain if his opponent handicapped himself for no reason. Instead he turned to Hayate. "Can we move this along Hayate, I think we're both ready now."

Hayate looked at both of them. "All right (cough) ….The seventh match…Uzumaki Naruto v Inuzuka Kiba… begin."

"Heh, I'm going to end this in one punch," said Kiba, raising his fist to his face.

Naruto ignored Kiba's baseless bravado and waited in silence for the attack. Timing was going to be important.

"**Gijū Ninpō** **Shikyaku no Jutsu (Imitation Beast Ninja Art: Four legs Technique) !" **Kiba screamed, before dropping on all fours, and adopting an animal like stance. It was the standard Inuzuka clan taijutsu stance. It tended to be a bit awkward to fight against due to the low stance, but it was nothing he couldn't adjust to.

Naruto continued to stand still, his arms folded in silence as he waited for Kiba's attack.

"Here I come."

Kiba charged straight at him, running on all fours, intent on delivering a direct blow.

_Slow, _Naruto thought as he side stepped the attack and pivoted in the same motion — Kiba's attack missed by a foot.

As Naruto turned, he lowered his hip so his center of gravity was below Kiba's. In the same movement, he brought his left arm up, catching Kiba across the upper chest and forcing the Inuzuka's body weight backwards. Then, with perfect timing, he swept Kiba's feet out from under him in a wave like motion.

Momentum did the rest.

Kiba's finding his balance gone and gravity working against him, landed awkwardly and hit the ground — hard. The air was forced from his lungs as his body collided with the floor, and there was an audible groan from the crowd as Kiba's head bounced of the pavement.

It was a perfectly executed takedown.

Naruto stepped back into his relaxed stance and looked at Akamaru, who was still loyally standing still.

_****__**Genjutsu: Suimin Yuudou (**_Genjutsu: Sleep Induction)

His pheromones worked quickly, and in seconds the dog was asleep.

_Good, it works on animals, _thought Naruto. He suspected it would since it came from Kurama, but he hadn't tested it yet.

Kiba let out a painful groan as he picked himself up off the pavement. It was a struggle, and Naruto could already see Kiba's legs wobbling. He didn't attack though. Kiba would only get one more attack and Naruto didn't mind the practice. Juijutsu was always more effective when you used an opponent's momentum against them anyway.

He didn't have to wait long either. Kiba regained his balanced, "You got lucky dobe, but it's over now. Akamaru!"

"…"

"Akamaru!"

When Kiba got no response he turned around to find dog, asleep. "Akamaru?"

Naruto _may _have let a quiet chuckle escape his lips, and Kiba may have heard it.

"What did you do dobe?!" Kiba demanded.

Naruto cocked his head and feigned innocence. "What do you mean?"

Kiba didn't buy it and growled in anger. Charging, Kiba threw a punch straight at Naruto's face.

Naruto flowed like water around the punch, and stepped right inside Kiba's guard. From this position he literally hand countless options, most of them lethal or extremely debilitating. Instead of ending Kiba's life right there, he settled for a palm thrust to the bottom of Kiba's chin.

The counter sent Kiba's head rocking backwards. Naruto could almost hear Kiba's small brain bouncing around in his skull. The strike certainly wouldn't do the Inuzuka's concussion any good.

Naruto didn't let up though.

His left hand shot out and grasped Kiba's outstretched arm. He then took a step towards Kiba and spun sharply so that their bodies were facing the same direction. In the same motion Naruto used his hip as a pivot and flipped Kiba straight over his body. He let gravity do the rest of the work for him.

Hitting hard pavement with the combined force of one's own body weight, gravity, and the momentum generated from a perfectly executed seoi nage (shoulder throw), makes a horrendous mess of the human body.

Kiba crashed heavily into the pavement sending several tiles flying. Blood erupted from his mouth, as vibrations reverberated through his body fracturing ribs, and rupturing organs. Fortunately for Kiba, he was unconscious on impact so he didn't have to experience the pain until he woke up in hospital sometime later.

Naruto looked down at the unconscious Inuzuka with an expression revealing nothing more than boredom. The dog boy had struggled to last fifteen seconds against him.

"Mada mada dane."

Naruto turned from the unconscious Kiba to Hayate. "Hayate?"

"Um (cough…yeah…Winner Uzumaki Naruto!"

* * *

"No way…so strong," said Sakura in disbelief. "Is Kiba going to be all right?"

"Gai-sensei, what was that?" Lee asked.

"I'm not sure Lee," replied Gai. He was looking at Naruto with interest now. "An old style taijutsu, I think, maybe something from Iron Country. I've seen them use similar techniques there to disarm swordsmen."

"Disarm swordsmen?" Lee asked.

Gai looked at his student for a moment and decided it was the perfect time to pass on a piece of sagely advice.

"Lee," Gai said, and put his hand of Lee's shoulder. "Punching a master of Iaido is never a good idea."

Lee nodded enthusiastically and even started taking a memo. Kakashi just sweat dropped. That was common sense wasn't it? Only Gai would go into a taijutsu fight against a master swordsman.

"Notice Lee, how he never attacked young Kiba," Gai continued. "Naruto always let Kiba come to him."

Lee nodded his head vigorously in response.

"Naruto used Kiba's own momentum against him, and then used the environment around him to inflict damage," Gai explained as he expertly broke down what Naruto had just done. "He expended almost no physical effort at all, and didn't even use chakra."

"No, physical effort or chakra…" Lee seemed to struggle with the idea of such a fighting style.

"Be careful if you ever fight him Lee," Gai warned. "He will use your own speed against you. The faster you are, the more damaging Naruto's throws will be."

"Yosh. I look forward to testing myself against Naruto," said Lee in excitement.

"Technique's like that are difficult though. They require perfect timing," Kakashi added for his own student's benefit...well Sakura's anyway, he doubted Sai needed the advice.

"But, Naruto was always the worst at taijutsu—"

"—I told you back in Wave, Sakura, whatever you think you know about Naruto and his abilities, forget it. Naruto is by far the strongest genin competing this year."

Kakashi really had to start putting his foot down with the girl. Today's fight was a step in the right direction, but…he was at a bit of a loss in how to further the girl's abilities. She had such low chakra reserves. Genjutsu maybe?

"Naruto's the strongest genin?" Lee asked no one in particular.

"He'll make a good opponent for you Neji," said Gai to Neji who was standing to the left of him and now looking at Naruto with interest.

"Be careful Gai," Kakasi warned. "I've seen Naruto fight. His taijutsu was impressive just then, but it's not his real ability."

"Ah…yes, he's…he's somebody's apprentice," said Gai. He couldn't quite remember whose; Ebisu's maybe.

Kakashi sweat dropped… again. He never did it around anyone else.

"He's Yūgao's apprentice." Kakashi pointed to Yūgao who was standing next to Kurenai and Team 8, who all looked a little worried about their unconscious teammate. "According to Yūgao, he's a prodigy at kenjutsu and genjutsu."

"A lethal combination," Gai observed before his eyes narrowed. "He used neither of those here."

Kakashi doubted Gai understood how lethal. You had to have been there…one dead A rank nin and a hundred corpses left an impression of you.

"But…in the academy Naruto never used a sword, and he sucked at genjutsu. He couldn't even do a bunshin!" Sakura exclaimed.

The girl was still struggling to come to grips with the reality of the situation. She couldn't reconcile the Naruto she knew with what she was seeing. Kakashi just hoped she didn't piss Naruto off some time in the future. He still remembered that she listed Naruto as one of her dislikes during the team introductions. _What did she call him…'Naruto-baka', that was it._

"Sakura," said Kakashi, "Naruto hardly ever attended the academy. What you saw was just a shadow clone designed for disinformation."

"But…"

* * *

"Tch. We didn't even get to see him fight properly," Kankuro complained. "What a monster."

Temari ignored her idiot brother. Like that Naruto guy was going to full out against some weak leaf genin. Instead, she looked at Gaara who was staring intently at Naruto.

_Gaara…_

"You know this boy?" Baki-sensei asked.

"Yes…he attacked us in the forest," Kankuro replied. "He's the one who broke Karasu. Bastard."

"He attacked you and is still alive?" Baki-asked.

Temari knew what he was really asking — How did Gaara not kill him already?

"He's strong, very strong sensei," Temari replied.

"Yeah, the guy's crazy fast, and he really knows how to use that katana of his," Kankuro explained.

"He also used wind to improve the power of his sword. He stabbed straight through Gaara's shield," Temari added. She still couldn't quite believe that.

"That's a jōnin level technique," said Baki-sensei looking inquisitively at Naruto. "We need more information on him."

* * *

"No way!" Ino exclaimed. "When did Naruto get so good…and so hot?"

Shikamaru ignored her like usual, and stared at the enigma down on the ground floor.

There was always something a bit off about the blonde's behaviour back at the academy, but he always put it down to Naruto being an orphan and having no role model. Something like this was so far outside of his calculations, he couldn't even begin to describe it as troublesome.

Back in the academy Naruto was the biggest idiot he had ever seen, literally. How could Naruto go from being that to being what he now saw before him? Naruto wasn't just a little different; he was completely different. Physically he was taller, his skin tone was paler, and his hair much longer — and where's the orange he loves so much?

The biggest change wasn't his appearance either, but his temperament. Naruto was loud, very, very loud, and extremely obnoxious. This Naruto was the opposite. He hadn't raised his voice unnecessarily once in the entire fight, nor had there been any incoherent yelling or ill thought out posturing during any of the previous fights. Not even during Sasuke's and Sakura's. Naruto was _never_ quiet around those two.

"Wow. Naruto's strong, really strong," said Choji.

Shikamaru could only nod his head in agreement. His mind went over everything he had seen in that fight. The way Naruto moved around Kiba, like he had all the time in the world. The only people who moved like that were the ones with lots of training _and _experience.

Looking down at Naruto, Shikamaru's eyes widened in surprise. Naruto didn't even move from the same spot the entire fight. It reminded him of the times he, Ino and Chjoi fought Asuma-sensei, or one of the rare occasions where he got to spar against his father. Was Kiba that far outclassed?

_What else are you hiding Naruto? Could you be anymore troublesome?_

* * *

"Ha! That Inuzuka kid got owned, big time. Nai-chan's not going to be happy her little gaki got hospitalised though."

Hiruzen sweat dropped at Anko being Anko. He'd gotten used to her antics over the years. Living in Konoha his entire life, he had developed a tough skin for that sort of thing.

"Impressive technique," Ibiki added. "The kid barely moved the entire fight."

"Naruto's certainly been trained well," said Hiruzen.

"Yeah…the brat beat my test easy," said Anko. "How did he go with yours Ibiki?"

"100 per cent correct on the paper test. Didn't get caught cheating once either," said Ibiki grunted.

"Heh. Maybe we'll have to up the difficulty for next year," Anko replied.

While Anko and Ibiki were chatting away, Hiruzen looked back down at Naruto who was talking to Gekkou Hayate.

This was his first time seeing Naruto fight in person, and he had to say he wasn't disappointed. He knew it was a good idea to have Naruto participate in these exams. He would impress many of the visiting dignitaries with skill like that.

Those moves Naruto had used certainly weren't like any taijutsu native to Fire country. In fact, he struggled to name a ninja who used such techniques. **(12)** He hadn't seen anything like that for decades.

Most taijutsu specialist preferred striking using either percussive force or soft hand methods like the Hyūga. Rare, was the ninja who preferred grappling techniques. It went out of fashion centuries ago once people realised they could enhance their strikes with charka. To the best of his memory, the only place that it was still reasonably common was Iron Country.

If Naruto had learned a similar style it would explain why all his moves were reactionary. He merely waited and used young Kiba's own techniques against him, and he made it look effortless. It also gave some credence to Naruto claim that his teacher was very old. No young ninja knew such taijutsu styles.

It also suggested his teacher had either spent time in Iron Country, which was possible considering Naruto knew Iaido, or his teacher had access to some extremely old ninja techniques. That might explain why he had never seen some of the techniques Naruto had been using recently.

_What else have you got hidden away Naruto?_

* * *

Back down on the ground floor Naruto watched the medics check Kiba's condition. He didn't look too good, but he would live, though he might be missing a spleen.

"Nice fight Naruto," Hayate complimented him.

Naruto turned to the kenjutsu user and nodded his head in thanks just as a mischievously glint appeared in his eyes.

"I can understand if you feel a bit inadequate after seeing my performance just now, Hayate" said Naruto. "Being out performed by a person half your age must be… emasculating."

"What? Your not half my age (cough)! How old do you think I am?" Hayate asked incredulously.

Naruto shrugged and guessed, "I don't know. Thirty-eight?"

Hayate spluttered, "Thirty-eight! I'm twenty-five (cough)."

Naruto looked sceptically at the man, "I'm sure you are."

"Whatever…(cough)…You should clear out here, the next fight will start soon."

"All right. Later, Hayate."

Naruto disappeared from the mock battlefield in a cloud of red blood and reappeared on the second floor next to Yūgao.

"Congratulations Naruto, I think that fight was almost as short as your effort in the second test," said Yūgao, referencing the previous record he had set.

"Meh."

He didn't really care. Beating people who had far less training them him wasn't his idea of a challenge or fun for that matter. It was just boring.

"You know…that's the first time I've seen you use taijutsu," said Yūgao.

"Yeah… I'm pretty sure you were supposed to test me on that, but you forgot," Naruto replied casually.

Yūgao twitched, but ended up ignoring his barb. "We should spar sometime, taijutsu only."

"Maybe, I'm not really interested in fighting against your academy level taijutsu though," Naruto replied.

He got a reaction he was looking for this time.

"Academy level taijutsu! I am so going to kick your arse tomorrow."

"You've said such things before…still yet to happen though," Naruto replied calmly.

A polite cough interrupted the sparks flying between teacher and apprentice.

Naruto turned and stared a pair of familiar crimson eyes. Looking past the unusual eyes, he took in the curly ebony hair and the hauntingly beautiful face of one Yuuhi Kurenai.

"Hello again," he greeted her. "It's been a while."

* * *

Kurenai found herself staring into an attractive pale face and a familiar pair of piercing ice blue eyes.

She didn't know whether to be overjoyed that she finally found the person who had helped all those years ago, angry because that person had just rendered her student unconscious, or confused…this was Naruto?

She kicked herself for believing the rumours surrounding the boy. She was a genjutsu specialist for Kami's sake. She of all people should have known to look beyond the surface. Underneath the underneath as Kakashi would say.

Of course the boy would be discriminated against. He's a jinchūriki!

To think, had she looked a bit deeper into the academy results she could have had him as a student. Not that she was unhappy with her genin, she wasn't, but still…

While she was chastising herself Yūgao decided to formally introduce her to Naruto.

"Kurenai, meet my apprentice Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto gave her a polite little wave, and a small smile. The smile was very minimalist, but she thought it suited him. He should smile like that more often. It drew attention away from his piecing gaze. She could imagine those ice blue eyes of his would make many people uncomfortable. It felt like they were looking straight through you, like he could see your deepest, darkest secrets.

She gave him a strained smile in return. This wasn't the impression she as hoping to make, but she was struggling to adjust to the surprise. Yūgao better have answers for her later.

"It's nice to meet you properly this time… Naruto," she said.

"Yeah. I apologise for the disappearing act," said Naruto. "I don't really like attention."

"No, no, it's quite all right. I just would have liked to thank you," she assured him. "You made quite the commotion there for a while. We weren't sure if there was an assassin on the loose."

It was a bit of an understatement. Security had been heightened for weeks afterwards.

"I can imagine," Naruto responded. There was that smile again, it lit up his whole face.

Naruto looked past her to see Shino and Hinata staring at him.

_Oh, no…Hinata, did she know about Naruto?_

Kurenai knew about her student's crush on Naruto. She would have to be pretty dense not to. But, did Hinata have a crush on this Naruto or the one she had heard about?

"Shino. Hinata," Naruto greeted them.

"Naruto," Shino responded in kind.

"H-hello…N-Naruto-kun," Hinata greeted him meekly.

Naruto gave Hinata a friendly smile, which caused the girl to flush red.

Kurenai looked at the girl and sighed. It probably didn't matter which Naruto it was. Naruto was Naruto to her. Hinata was definitely better than when they started, but she was a work in progress. Confidence was still a major issue for her.

Hinata left them to go give Kiba some of her medicine. Hopefully Kiba could learn from this. He had nothing to be ashamed of. She knew personally how strong Naruto was. Though she wished Naruto didn't hurt him so badly, but that was just her personal view as a sensei coming through. People always get injured during the chūnin exams. At least he didn't use that katana of his.

"So where were you earlier?" Yūgao asked Naruto.

She turned back to look at Naruto and saw his eyes narrow like he was thinking carefully about something.

"Talking to someone…I'll tell you later," Naruto replied.

_**Hyuga Hinata v Hyuga neji**_

_Hinata…_

* * *

"Naruto. Why is it that the only ninja you know are attractive kunoichi?" Akeginu asked.

He couldn't reply with everyone present and she knew it.

"You never told me the woman you rescued was so attractive," she continued. She was standing right next to Kurenai. "Where you concealing that fact on purpose?"

Naruto was starting to sweat a little, which was more than he did when fighting Kiba. Trying to ignore Akeginu, he stared down as the Neji tried to intimidate Hinata. Or at least that's what he thought he was doing. Negi surely didn't believe that tripe himself, did he?

"People cannot change," Neji said. "Losers are losers. Their personality and strength will not change."

"I wonder if he actually believes the crap he's spouting," Naruto wondered out loud. Neji should really get some perspective. He's not exactly a good shinobi himself. Like all Hyūga he was one-dimensional and completely reliant on his bloodline.

When was the last time there was an S-rank Hyūga?

"There's a lot of tension between the Hyūga main family and the branch family Naruto," Yūgao replied.

"Enslavement is a bit more than tension sensei," Naruto replied.

"True."

Down below, Neji continued to go on and on. He was certainly showing he could talk a lot. Though by the way Hinata was trembling, Neji's intimidation seemed to be working.

"I see Hinata is still having confidence issues," Naruto commented.

Kurenai nodded her head but didn't take her eyes off Hinata. "She's better than she was, but she's still needs more work."

While they were talking Hinata looked up towards them. Tears were starting to form in the corners of her eyes. She looked straight into Naruto eyes as if looking for something. He wasn't exactly sure what she wanted so he just gave her a smile that may or may not have been reassuring. He never really knew what people read off his expressions. Whatever it was, it seemed to be enough for Hinata because she activated her own Byakugan and turned around to face Neji.

Unfortunately, despite giving a good showing, she was outclassed in the fight. It didn't appear so at first. They looked to be trading blow for blow. However Naruto could see what Neji was doing. He was aiming for Hinata's tenketsu points.

The effects of that were soon made apparent when Hinata started coughing up blood, and Neji revealed that he had struck all the tenketsu points on her arm.

Once Hinata was down Neji went back to prattling again.

"Hinata's improved a lot since I last saw her," Naruto said.

"Yes. She's improved the most out of anyone on our team," Shino replied.

He agreed. She was easily the strongest Konoha kunoichi who fought today. She probably would have beaten Kiba and Shikamaru as well provided she went in to the fight with the right attitude.

Once Hinata got back up she started coughing up blood. A tell tale sign that Neji had managed to cut off her chakra flow. She couldn't really afford to take much more damage.

Naruto glanced at Kurenai; he was gripping the rail tightly. She looked like she wanted to intervene. But held off from doing so. He approved, cuddling wouldn't help Hinata with her problem. Hayate would intervene if things got too serious.

Neji took her down with a strike to the chest, which forced Hayate to call Neji the winner.

Kurenai hoped down to the arena to check on her student.

_Hinata's biggest problem was always mental, now that she seems to have overcome that she should have no further problems, _thought Naruto.

* * *

_**Gaara v Rock Lee**_

This was going to be an interesting fight. He had already seen the jinchūriki —no Gaara's — abilities, but he only had a vague idea of how much Lee had improved.

In saying that, Gaara was a bad match up for any taijutsu user. Breaking though Gaara's sand shield would probably be impossible for Lee.

"To be able to fight you this early…I couldn't be happier," said Lee once he landed in the arena.

Gaara ignored him. Instead he was staring intently right at Naruto.

Naruto gave him a little wave, which got him odd looks from most of the people in the room.

"What's that about?" Yūgao asked him.

"We had a little run in, in the forest," replied Naruto. "I may have left an impression on him."

"Uh huh."

Yūgao correctly assumed there was more to it than that.

"He's very strong," Naruto continued. "Hayate will probably have to intervene to stop him from killing Lee."

"He's that aggressive?" Kurenai asked. She had just rejoined them after checking on Hinata.

"Yes." Shino answered the question for him. "We saw him kill a team of genin in the forest. He showed no mercy even though they begged for their lives."

"I know, I was standing two trees over from you when it happened," said Naruto. He was pleased to see that he got a surprised reaction out of the normally unreadable Aburame. "You guys should really pay more attention to your surroundings."

"Noted."

Back down in the arena the fight commenced and Lee got to experience Gaara's sand first hand.

"Sand manipulation. You don't see that everyday," Yūgao commented on Gaara's attack.

"His defence is quite hard to penetrate," said Naruto.

Yūgao looked at him," You fought him?"

Naruto nodded his head while he watch Lee dodge Gaara's sand. "After Team 8 left, I attacked him and his teammates."

"And they're still alive?"

"I wasn't looking to kill them," Naruto explained. "I just wanted to figure out the limitations of his ability."

"And what did you find out?" Yūgao asked. Kurenai looked interested in his answer as well.

Naruto looked around. Besides Yūgao, only Kurenai and Shino were close by. "Well…you need either extreme speed or a very powerful attack to get through his shield."

"How fast and how powerful?" Yūgao asked for clarification.

"Faster than Lee is moving down there," Naruto said. "If you want to break through his shield, you need at least a B rank ninjutsu…he's also susceptible to genjutsu."

"You know B rank ninjutsu and genjutsu?" Kurenai asked, reading between the lines.

Before Naruto could provide a general reply that in no way indicated how good he was at genjutsu or ninjutsu, Yūgao said," Oh, Naruto's a genjutsu prodigy."

Naruto groaned. _That was my fault; I shouldn't have given her the opportunity._

"A genjutsu prodigy?" Kurenai asked. She was now looking at Naruto with interest… well even more interest than she was before.

"Sensei is exaggerating. Don't listen to her. Ever."

"Pfft. You know the Hoakge designated your Red Mirage as an A rank jutsu." Yūgao was on a roll.

"Red Mirage?" Kurenai asked.

Naruto groaned again. "You know the reason I used taijutsu earlier was because I wanted to keep my genjutsu skills a secret," Naruto told Yūgao.

"You shouldn't have brought it up then," said Yūgao. She was smiling evilly at him.

_She still can't be mad at me for getting her up early. That was five days ago…or maybe it was the taijutsu comment._

"I'll remember that," said Naruto. "I wonder if other students have to put up with their sensei's sabotaging their chūnin exams."

"Of course not," replied Yūgao. "I go out of my way to ensure you have the toughest time possible."

Kurenai narrowed her eyes as she looked between the two bantering ninjas.

"You two get along well," she observed.

"That's one way to look at it," said Naruto while glaring at Yūgao. He was going to get her back for this.

A screaming Gai stoped them from bickering any further.

"Lee! Take them off!"

_I hope he's not referring to what I think he's referring to, _thought Naruto with worry. He didn't really need to see that.

Thankfully, Gai was referring to the weights Lee was wearing.

Weights were an old style of training, one that went as far back as Akeginu's time. He'd never used them personally. Back when he had started his conditioning he had been far too young to utilise them without injuring himself. By the time he was old enough to actually use them without any negative effects he had already begun mastering chakra-enhanced movement so there wasn't much point to it.

How much of a difference could it —

— Naruto stoped in mid thought as Lee tossed his weights to the ground. They left craters where they landed.

_That's…excessive. How much did they weigh?!_

Naruto's eyes narrowed in interest as watched Lee move unencumbered by his weights. Lee was fast, faster than he was, physically anyway. He had to use chakra to move fast enough to bypass Gaara's shield, yet Lee was doing it with just physical ability alone. It was very impressive.

Lee's last attack managed to bypass Gaara's shield and hit his sand armour. This probably wouldn't end well for Lee. He remembered how much more aggressive Gaara become once you proved yourself a danger to him. He started acting more like a concerned predator than a ninja.

_I wonder if Gaara will use his sand clone again._

He was able to spot it this time. When Lee followed up his strike by unleashing a devastating attack, Gaara swapped himself with a solid clone.

The technique Lee just performed seemed to leave him injured, or at the very least exhausted, because Gaara started dominating the fight from then on.

_Lee's going to die at this rate, _thought Naruto.

Suddenly, Lee's movements started becoming sharper and his chakra started going through the roof.

_What the hell?_

Lee shot forward causing a huge explosion as he moved at a speed faster than the eye could see.

_Fast!_

"What is that?" Naruto asked Yūgao.

"I'm pretty sure it's the Eight Gates," answered Yūgao. "But that's a kinjutsu. Did Gai teach him it?"

"You mean the gates in the charka pathway system?" Naruto asked. He had read enough medical texts to know about the eight gates, but a kinjutsu?

"Yes. What he's doing is opening his gates. It's very dangerous, but it gives you a huge physical boost," explained Yūgao.

"How dangerous Yūgao?" Kurenai asked.

"It can result in death," Yūgao replied.

That surprised both Naruto and Kurenai.

Naruto turned back to Lee and observed the fight with even more interest. Lee's skin had now turned red, and he was emitting a green light.

_Is that chakra? It doesn't feel like it._

Lee started pulverising Gaara, and repeated the same technique he did earlier. Unfortunately for Lee, Gaara managed to turn his gourd into sand and cushion the fall.

_So the gourd is sand as well…that's good to know._

The danger Yūgao referred to became apparent after that. Lee was clearly exhausted, and injured.

_The enhanced abilities come with a severe backlash, _Naruto observed. With Gaara still very much in the fight, Lee was probably going to die.

Gaara's sand quickly rose up and latched onto Lee's left arm and leg.

_And there it is._

"Awww!"

Lee's scream reverberated throughout the arena.

Gaara would have killed Lee right then and there had not Gai intervened. With a single swipe he completely dispersed the sand.

_He did that awfully easily, _Naruto observed. He had to result to using ninjutsu to break the sand, but it seemed Gai was strong enough to do it with physical ability alone.

_So this is what Hayate felt like._

Gai interference seemed to have a negative affect on Gaara who started holding his head.

"Why did you save him?" Gaara asked.

"Because he's my comrade," Gai responded.

Back on the second floor, Naruto wondered if Gaara was still capable of understanding such bonds. He doubted Gaara had any one to call family, or teammate in his entire life. He hadn't until he met Akeginu.

_I'm definitely lucky to have met Akeginu that day._

Looking at Gaara was like looking at an alternative version on himself. He found it more than a little disconcerting. Had he not met Akeginu, he doubted he would have been as strong as Gaara though. Konoha didn't want a strong jinchūriki. They would have wanted him weak, and beneath them. It would make them feel better about themselves.

Hayate announced Gaara the winner after that. Amazingly Lee was still standing despite obviously suffering from extreme exhaustion and several broken limbs.

"It's a shame," said Naruto. "Lee's ninja career is probably over now."

He was sincere too. Based on what he just saw, Lee was easily one of the most promising genin in Leaf.

"You think it's that bad?" Kurenai asked.

"I saw that attack in the forest. Gaara can turn people into paste with it," Naruto told Kurenai. "I doubt Lee's ligaments or bones survived the technique."

Kurenai looked down at Lee with concern, before looking back to Naruto, again with concern. "And you fought this Gaara without getting a scratch on you?"

Naruto shrugged. "I have more options than Lee does."

Naruto looked back down as the medics tended to Lee. It was a shame, but also the reality of ninja life. He was lucky to still have his life.

* * *

_**Choji v Dosu**_

"It doesn't bode well for the fight if you have to bribe your student with food to participate to participate," said Naruto after watching Asuma convince Choji not to forfeit.

Kurenai just shook her head like she couldn't believe what she had just seen.

"Those Akimichi do love their food though," commented Yūgao.

The fight lived up to expectation. Choji was down in a single hit.

"That was pathetic," Naruto said.

"Don't be mean Naruto," Yūgao chided him.

"You were thinking the exact same thing."

"…"

"I thought so."

Naruto turned to look down to Hayate who was announcing the conclusion to the preliminaries.

"Finally," said Akeginu, who had thankfully been quiet for a while. "I thought that was never going to end."

_Well, I learned today why Konoha values teamwork so highly. _He'd never seen so many one-dimensional ninja. With the exception of the Uchiha, all the other clan heir only used their clan jutsu. Any decent ninja with a bit of variety in their skill set should be able to beat them.

"Naruto, go down to the courtyard with the other winners," Yūgao instructed him.

"You as well, Shino," said Kurenai.

"Okay," said Naruto as he and Shino made their way down to the ground floor.

* * *

Down in the courtyard the victorious genin lined up in front of Hayate and the old man.

"To all those that have won the right to compete in the third round test of the chūnin exams, congratulations!" Hayate said before turning to the old man. "Hokage-sama, if you please."

"Thank you," said the old man as he stepped in front of the genin. "As I told you before, your matches will be seen by everybody. Each of you will fight to represent the strengths of your countries, and I'd like to show of your powers with no reserves. Which is why, in one months time, you will fight in the finals."

_One month, that's a longer break than I anticipated, _thought Naruto with a frown. He probably wouldn't be allowed to take any missions during that time either.

"This break will be for your preparations," the old man continued.

"What does that mean?" Neji asked.

_Really? It was pretty straightforward._

"In addition to informing the various rulers, an village leaders, this time can be used by you for preparations."

"What do you mean? The puppet user asked.

_Looks like they're going to make the old man spell it out, _thought an irritated Naruto. Were all genin idiots?

"Basically it preparation, for you to get to know your enemy and yourself…"

_This sound like it's going to take a while…_

* * *

_**20 minutes later**_

_Did the old man always like talking so much? _Naruto wondered as the Hokage _finally _finished explaining the reason for the break.

"Please take a piece of paper from the box Anko is carrying around," instructed the old man.

Naruto waited until Anko reached him. "All right hot-stuff, pick a piece, only one now."

Naruto rolled his eyes at her, and reached into the box. The paper he removed had the number 1 on it.

"All right, did everyone take a piece?" The old man asked. "Now, please tell us the number on that paper. Starting from the left."

"Eight," said Dosu.

"One," said Naruto.

"Six," said Shino

"Seven," said Temari.

"Five," said Kankuro.

"Nine," said Gaara.

"Three," said Shikamaru.

"Four," said Ino.

"Two," said Neji.

"Ten," said Yoroi.

The Hokage had a brief chat with Ibiki, before announcing, "All right! I will now reveal the fixtures for the tournament."

That got a loud exclamation from the majority of the genin; apparently this was a surprise to most of them. What did they think the numbers were for?

"Ibiki, show them the match arrangements," instructed the old man.

Ibiki turned the board he had been writing on around to display a graph to the genin. It read:

_Uzumaki Naruto v Hyūga Neji;_

_Nara Shikamaru v Yamanaka Ino;_

_Kankuro v Aburame Shino;_

_Temari v Dosu Kinuta;_

_Gaara v Akado Yoroi_

_The Hyūga, _Naruto noted. Well, at least he would get to test his genjutsu out on the Byakugan. He wouldn't get to fight Gaara until the final though.

"Are there any final questions before I dismiss you?" The old man asked.

Shikamaru put his hand up. "Is the winner the only one who get's to become chūnin?"

_There wouldn't be many chūnin around if that were the case, _thought Naruto.

"That's not quite right. Throughout the tournament judges will be evaluating your skill. If you are judged to have the necessary qualities of a chūnin, then you will become a chūnin. Even if you lose your first match."

"That means there's a possibility everyone will become a chūnin," said Temari.

"Yes," replied the Hokage, "But also, the possibility that no one will become chūnin, exists. The longer you stay in the tournament, the more chances you get to impress the judges. Do you understand now Shikamaru-kun?"

Naruto was going to kill the next person who asked a stupid question. He considered himself a very patient person. He could wait for hours in the one spot if there was a good reason for it. But waiting here for thirty minutes just for the finals draw.

"Well then, thank you for your efforts today. You are all dismissed until a month from now," said the Hokage.

Naruto turned to the Suna trio. "See you in the finals Sand people."

He got different reactions out of all three of them. Temari just looked at him curiously, like she was trying to figure out if he was up to something. Gaara just looked like he wanted to kill him, actually so did the puppet guy. So, two different reaction, maybe.

Naruto grinned at the puppet guy, "Hopefully your doll will be fixed by then."

"It's a puppet not a doll!"

Temari laughed at that, while Gaara just said, "Pfft."

Naruto turned to Gaara, "I see you still have my present." He point at the line of blood on Gaara's throat.

The other two stared uneasily at Gaara, while Gaara fingers brushed against his throat. "I will have your blood for that."

Naruto cocked his head. "But you already have it?"

They were starting to attract attention so Naruto decided to drop it, before he walked away he told Gaara.

"I suggest you work on your technique, as I showed you in the forest, your sand won't protect you if it doesn't know I'm there. See you in the final."

"Stop handing out advice to your enemies Naruto," chided Akeginu.

_Yes, ma'am._

Naruto walked over towards the Hokage who was standing near Anko, Ibiki and Yūgao.

"If it isn't boy wonder here," said Anko as he walked up to them.

"Are you going to greet me with a new nickname every time we meet?" Naruto asked her.

"Na, that's way to much effort. I'll cycle threw half a dozen or so," Anko replied with a mischievous grin.

Naruto twitched. It looked like he had just met his match. The smile Yūgao was wearing suggested she was thinking the exact same thing.

Naruto looked around briefly to check no one was listening in to carefully, "I just wanted to report my conversation with Orochimaru."

That got a start at out of Yūgao. The old man and Ibiki just narrowed their eyes at the mention of his name. Anko was squeezing her fist in anger.

"Explain what you mean Naruto," the old man instructed.

"He was here earlier, during the Uchiha's fight," answered Naruto. "He was the Oto jōnin."

"Kakashi did inform ANBU that Orochimaru was in the building." Ibiki informed the old man.

"What did he want Naruto?" The old man asked.

"Just my opinion on the Uchiha. He seemed to know about…certain actions I took in Wave —"

"It's okay Naruto, these three have clearance," interrupted the old man.

"He knew I killed Zabuza. I got the impression he was curious more than anything," explained Naruto.

"I suspected he was watching events from somewhere. My old student always excelled at deception," said the old man. "Thank you for informing me Naruto. You can go get some rest."

"Like he needs any rest. He was probably sitting on his arse all week, and his fight went for like ten seconds," said Anko.

"I think next time you should get some tougher examiners, old man."

That got him a glare form both Anko and Ibiki.

Before he could rile Anko any further Yūgao put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on Naruto, let's go get some dinner and we can discuss what training where going to do over the next month."

They two of them disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Up on a balcony overlooking Konoha, Orochimaru stared at his former village with contempt. The place he once called home was now nothing more than a rotting husk of lost ideals, and old fools.

"Konoha…it's become far too accustomed to peace," said Orochimaru. "While the other countries and villages grew strong, it merely grew old and frail."

"Could we take it now?" Kabuto asked.

Orochimaru turned to face his most trusted subordinate. "Of course we could, but what fun is there is taking the head of an old geezer?"

"Heh, is that so?"

He could pick out the faint mocking tone in Kabuto's voice. Kabuto was the only one of his subordinates who had the spine to try and do that with him. It was one of the reasons he kept the boy around.

"It seems to me that you're still hesitant to act," said Kabuto.

A cold smile appeared on Orochimaru's face. "Oh?"

"You intend to plunge various hidden villages into war, including Hidden Sound. You plan to be the trigger for this war, but what's happened to your bullet? One Uchiha Sasuke. He failed to make the final."

Kabuto was as sharp as always. Another reason he kept him around. Good help was truly hard to find.

"Hehe. You intuitive as always," said Orochimaru. "Sasuke's failure may have been a disappointment, but it changes nothing."

"How so?" Kabuto asked.

"That loss will only push him closer towards me. The darkness inside him will fester even greater than before," explained Orochimaru. "Sasuke will soon realise that Konoha can offer him nothing, that he has no future here. The boy will come to me willingly since there is nothing keeping him here."

Orochimaru snake eyes stared straight through Kabuto. "There is something I want you to take care of though."

"Oh, and what's that?" Kabuto asked.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"The jinchūriki?"

"Yes. What do you know of him?"

Kabuto pulled out one of his data cards. "Repeated failure at the academy. Local pariah. Recently taken on as apprentice to one Uzuki Yūgao. That's it. Why is he so special, besides the obvious?

"You of all people should know that records aren't everything. According to my spies, a few weeks back Naruto-kun defeated Momoichi Zabuza."

Kabuto's narrowed in suspicion. "Was it the Kyuubi?"

"No," Orochimaru responded succinctly.

"He was hiding his abilities then," Kabuto concluded.

"So I've been led to believe. Find out what you can about him."

"I'll get on it," said Kabuto before disappearing with a flicker.

Orochimaru just smiled coldly and looked back out over the village. Soon he'd be able to remove this stain from the world, and he'd finally get his hands on the sharingan. Everything was going according to plan.

* * *

_**Foot Notes**_

_**1) **__Some have expressed concern that Yūgao will cheat on Hayate. It's not going to happen. Most of the lines regarding her attraction to Naruto are there for the purpose of humour. More seriously, it is a conscious recognition of her part that, yes she does find Naruto attractive, but does not mean she going to act on it. She's comfortable enough with her current relationship to admit that to herself (and Hayate)._

_**2) **__I went with the English version of Lee's name._

_**3) **__Japanese name for the common Asian conical hat._

_**4) **__Not Team Shigure (AKA The chumps who get destroyed by Gaara). These guys are just some random Ame team._

_**5) **__Incorrect spelling is intentional. It always struck me as odd that Naruto never recognised them considering that he must have been in their class at some stage._

_**6) **__Kamaitachi is very similar to Kakashi's Kamui (at least in terms of offensive effect). Both techniques create a void; Kakashi's does so using space/time ninjutsu to create a literal whole in space to another dimension while Naruto's uses wind pressure to create a absence in space. Both generate extreme centrifugal force. Kamaitachi has the advantage though in that it is nowhere near as draining in stamina._

_**7) **__It terms of how fast Naruto is, he's slower than Lee physically, but with shunshin he's much faster. We don't really get to see Shisui in action, I don't know if he's faster than post time skip Sasuke, but that's the kind of speed I'm trying to describe._

_**8) **As per Killer B's fight with Sasuke.  
_

_**9) **__Sai is still very much a member of ROOT at this stage. He is not interested in promotion. His assignment is to keep an eye on Sasuke. He's not going to risk injury or anything else that could interfere with that assignment when he doesn't have to._

_**10) **__I think this is the logical conclusion to this fight. Unlike canon, Sasuke didn't awaken his sharingan until his fight with Orochimaru, so he does not have access to Lee's moves. Furthermore, his resistance to the cursed seal is inextricably linked to his relationship with Naruto, which does not exist in my fic. Conclusion: Sasuke loses. The big effect here is does Sasuke still learn chidori without Kakashi to teach him it (since he doesn't need it to fight Gaara)?_

_**11) **__Certainly no Naruto cheer this time. I doubt anyone actually cares about this fight, but as per usual Naruto's ill thought out and badly articulated words engendered some positive reaction out of people who don't like him. In this case it acted as the trigger to awaken whatever form of psychosis Sakura suffers from._

_**12) **__To the best of my recollection we only see ninja use kenpo style martial arts (both soft and hard forms) in canon. There's the occasional takedown , hold or throw, but most martial arts have a variations of them. We don't see a person actually use grappling style. Let me know if I'm mistaken though._

* * *

**Author Notes**

**So, Naruto that was pretty straightforward for Naruto. It is only the chūnin exams, it's not exactly difficult (any decent chūnin would pass it comfortably). Keep in mind Naruto has had 10 years of intense training. That's much more than he ever received in canon. He also had access to shadow clones for 5 of those years and knew about their ability. After all that, he'd have to be very inept to struggle fighting people like Kiba etc.**

**I didn't really see the point of Naruto going all out on Kiba either. It would have been overkill. Anyway, it was a good opportunity for me to showcase Naruto's juijutsu, which consequently is quite hard to describe in writing. It's not just: punch this, kick that, elbow this. Anyone who does Aikido/Judo or anything like that can tell you some of the throws and mechanics of it, can be quite complex, yet simple at the same time. It's hard to describe.**

**I know Naruto might seem powerful here, maybe even too powerful, but it's relative. He's powerful in comparison to genin (and his canon self at the same time). But in comparison to some of the other people running around the Elemental Nations, his power is pretty insignificant. That's not even taking into consideration demi-gods like Madara, and Harishima. I'd rather have Naruto be strong now, and improve his skills gradually over the course of the story, than have him at genin level and then jump up to S rank in a mere three years. At least this way his ascension to S rank is a thirteen-year journey.**

**In regards to Kurenai, it wasn't really the right context for that conversation (considering it was public, and she had two students in the hospital). They'll be more on her and Naruto in the next chapter.**

**Just on the finals. Most of you would have noticed I changed the draw. The changes are superficial. In canon there were only two fights of significance. Neji v Naruto, which is going ahead, and Sasuke v Gaara, which is not. I just moved Gaara to the other side of the draw so he could make it to the final.**

**Just on Sasuke. It's not too significant. It doesn't change too much other than giving him even more motivation to leave. This is a Naruto-centic fic anyway. Naruto doesn't care if he leaves or not. It's interesting though, that without Naruto there, Sasuke is weaker.**

**Looking to the future. There's a month until the invasion. I have a decent amount of material I want to cover over that period (i.e. Naruto will not be idle during that time, plus he doesn't really need to train to beat Neji), so there will be at least two chapters before the exam finals.**

**Tune in next chapter to see Naruto's new sensei (it's not Jiraiya). Those who've been to my profile can probably guess. It coincides with Naruto learning his new skill.**


	16. Chapter 16 - The Calm Before the Storm

_**Chapter 16 – The Calm Before the Storm**_

**Hey People. Tibo's here... finally, as I'm sure some of you will say.**

**Sorry about the extended delay. I had a rather busy couple of months with uni. I had hoped to get this chapter out at the beginning of April, but obviously that fell through. Anyway, here it is.**

**This chapter introduces a few new characters, one's we are familiar with from canon, who are making their appearance for the first time. **

**Originally I intended to introduce Hotarubi here, however I changed my mind (after writing the whole chapter for it), which meant a complete re-write (another reason this took so long). In short I really didn't have a defined role for Hotarubi. She's one of my favourite basilisk characters so if I can't do her justice I want include her at all. For the time being, she's been sidelined unless I think of a better way to utilise her. All the Kouga nin are confirmed though. I have their roles in the story set out and planned.**

**No review responses this week (here at least), I responded to most via PM. I just had too many reviews for the last chapter to add them here (like 200 or so). I will likely continue to use PM for review response, unless it's guest reviewer or a common enough question.  
**

**Also, I passed 1000 reviews last chapter. I'm extremely happy with the response I've gotten so far. To everyone who has reviewed, thank you, especially those regulars who review each chapter and offer constructive advice. As I've said before, this fic is very much a work in progress, and I do take advice into consideration. **

**Anyhow, on with the show.**

* * *

**[Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Basilisk or Naruto]**

"There, all done."

The Sandaime Hokage let out a tired sigh as he collapsed back into his chair. His weary bones groaned out in protest, a reminder that he was far too old to be spending his nights couped up in his office signing papers. He may have been able to pull off all nighters in his younger days, but at the ripe old age of sixty-nine, he just didn't have the fortitude for it anymore.

Pulling out his trusty old pipe, Hiruzen glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 11:00pm. For the millionth time he cursed his fate. This certainly wasn't how he planned on living out his retirement.

He let out another tired out sigh while he packed his pipe. Lighting it up, he took a deep pull, and let the smoke roll around in his mouth as his thoughts turned to his recent troubles — Orochimaru, and Naruto.

Those were two names he never hoped would occupy the same sentence. The former had been a constant burden on his conscious for the decades, his recent escapades merely the latest in a long line of crimes against Konoha and its people. The latter, Naruto, had only been worrying him for the last fifteen years or so. Though like Orochimaru, Naruto's recent actions had been troubling to say the least.

The similarities between the two were disconcerting. They were both orphans, both extremely talented, and both somewhat isolated from the community. Orochimaru, because of his unusual appearance, and self- imposed pursuit of knowledge and later on, immortality. Naruto, because of his status as a jinchūriki.

He very much doubted Naruto would turn out anything like Orochimaru. Despite everything he had been through Naruto was a good person at heart. In saying that, he hadn't foreseen Orochimaru becoming this villages greatest enemy back when he was young either so perhaps his judgement wasn't reliable enough to make such a declaration.

Orochimaru's isolation had been tempered in his genin years by his teammates. Tsunade was his equal both in terms of talent and dedication, while Jiraiya, though lacking the same genius as the other two, made up for it with his esoteric affinity for toads. The three of them had managed to form a strong friendship back during their genin days, and had been better for it.

Naruto had no such rivals or friends. Although talented genin such as Uchiha Sasuke and Hyūga Neji also had troubled pasts, and upbringings, neither of them were anywhere near the same skill level as Naruto, and as such could hardly be considered rivals.

That wasn't to say they weren't as talented as Naruto. They may well be. Unfortunately, the development of both Sasuke and Neji had been curtailed by circumstance. If not for the massacre, Sasuke may have been able to progress along the same lines as his brother, Itachi. The talent was certainly there. It was in his blood. Alas, it was never to be. Due to unfortunate circumstances, Sasuke had to develop without the support of his family or the Uchiha clan. Itachi had the personal tutelage of the clan head as well as several other talented members of the clan from a very young age. Sasuke had to make do with the academy instructors. It was no comparison.

Neji was a bit different. Although undeniably talented, Neji progress was stymied by the fact that he was a member of the branch clan. He did not have access to the main branch clan techniques, or tutorship from the more advanced members of the main family. There was a ceiling imposed on Neji, with the way things were in that clan the boy may never realise his full potential.

Unlike Neji, and Sasuke, Naruto had received personal tutorship from a young age. In that way he was more similar to Itachi than anyone else. Naruto might not have had access to clan resources, but this Akeginu person Naruto mentioned obviously knew a number of unique jutsu. He couldn't say so with certainty, since Naruto carefully guarded any information about his skills, but while Naruto may not be at Itachi level back when he was sixteen, he was awfully close.

That was no small feet considering just how talented Itachi was. Even Orochimaru and Minato did not have such a prodigious talent.

He was brought out of his musings by the arrival of a presence outside his window. _Finally, _he thought. He had been kept waiting long enough.

"You can come out now Jiraiya."

The window opened to reveal his old student and Konoha's resident spymaster waiting outside.

"Hehe, sharp as ever sensei."

Hiruzen gave his old student an annoyed glare as he appeared in the centre of the office. With a flick of his wrist an ember from his pipe sailed through the air and landed right on the tip of Jiraiya's noise.

"Ahhh! It burns."

Hiruzen took another pull on his pipe and shook his head as Jiraiya hoped around the room. Anyone gazing upon this scene right now would have to question if Jiraiya was really the legendary Toad Sannin. Though to be fair, Jiraiya wasn't the only S rank nin with an…eccentric personality. He had met a certain Mizukage who was far more annoying.

Amazingly, despite his many, many flaws, Jiraiya had ended up being his most reliable student. Admittedly, he didn't have much competition there. As far as his other students were concerned, one was the village's second most infamous traitor, while the other had fled the village in despair and was a missing nin in everything but name.

"Be serious." Hiruzen had had just about enough of Jiriaya's antics. "I called for you months ago. Where have you been?"

_As if I didn't know_,Hiruzen thought as he waited for Jiraiya's reply.

Jiraiya stopped bumbling around. "Sorry sensei, but I've been real busy. Orochimaru's been on the move again."

It was always the same thing with Jiraiya. Not that he could blame him for wanting to deal with Orochimaru. This week's events demonstrated exactly why Orochimaru was such a danger to Konoha. He just wished Jiraiya had taken the time over the years to show at least some interest in his godson's life. He could just about guarantee that Jiraiya had blown any chance of ever having a close relationship with Naruto.

His own relationship with Naruto was strained enough these days, and he had known the boy most of his life. he doubted very much Naruto would look kindly upon a stranger claiming to be his godfather. Jiraiya would likely get the same treatment as Mizuki.

"Yes, I know," Hiruzen replied calmly to Jiraiya's statement about Orochimaru. "He made an appearance here during the chūnin exams this week. Placed one of those cursed seals of his on young Sasuke."

"Not those things again. Do you want me to check it out?"

Hiruzen shook is head. "Kakashi has already had a look at it. It's similar to the one Orochimaru put on Anko. There's not much we can do about it."

The jiunjutsu Orochimaru developed was next to impossible to remove without killing the victim. The only thing they could do was manage the problem. It had worked relatively well with Anko, but Sasuke had a much more troubled past.

Jiraiya took a seat before making his report. "My spies have reported seeing Orochimaru near the northern border. Wherever his base is, it's somewhere near the Land of Hot Water."

_That makes sense, _thought Hiruzen as he analysed what Jiraiya had just told him. The border of Fire Country and the other great nations was buffered by a number of smaller countries such as the Land of Rain, the Land of Sound, and the Land of Hot Water. Those countries formed a neutral zone between the great nations. Unfortunately those smaller countries often ended up as battlefields during the great shinobi wars between the five great villages.

Any one of those smaller nations would welcome the protection afforded to them by an S rank ninja of Orochimaru's calibre. And that's if they even offered; it was quite probable that Orochimaru just went in and took over; established his own powerbase. He was certainly powerful enough to do that. With the exception of the Land of Hidden Rain, none of the other smaller nations would be able to put up much of a resistance against him.

It wouldn't be the first time a powerful ninja had created a powerbase from scratch. Hanzo the Salamander had done it quite successfully in the past. It took a lot of strength and a lot of ruthlessness. Orochimaru had both in spades.

"As problematic as Orochimaru's recent actions have been, it's not why I called you back," Hiruzen explained to Jiraiya.

"Oh?"

Hiruzen gave Jiraiya a level gaze; this was a serious matter. "It's about Naruto."

Jiraiya looked confused, "The gaki? Is it time for him to start using the Kyūbi's chakra?"

"Maybe," replied Hiruzen. He hadn't given that particular issue too much thought lately with everything else that was going on. "But that's not an issue at the moment."

"Then what is?"

_Now…where do I to start? _

"Naruto graduated from the academy just recently. He graduated far more skilled than everyone else in his class," explained Hiruzen.

"So? That's not too surprising considering who his parents were," replied Jiraiya. "With the chakra reserves from his Uzumaki genes alone, his potential would be enormous. Add in the Kyūbi and it's off the charts. Then there's his father…"

The evidence Yūgao had compiled recently suggested Naruto was very much living up to that potential. However, Jiraiya had just made a number of incorrect assumptions about Naruto's childhood. Only under certain conditions can one truly reach their potential. Sasuke and Neji were evidence enough of that.

"That may be so," Hiruzen replied. He paused; Jiraiya wasn't going to like what he said next. "However, for all intensive purposes Naruto should have struggled to reach his potential."

He may not have liked it, but the reality was that the majority of adults in the village were extremely cold towards Naruto. Very few would willingly help him, quite the opposite in fact. How could a child excel under such circumstances? It was impossible. Even the smartest required some assistance, particularly when it came to the basics of learning.

"Naruto was subject to intense discrimination both prior to and during his time at the academy. His potential as you put it, should never have been realised…at least not until he got some proper instruction. "

He watched Jiraiya reaction closely. The narrowing of his eyes and the slight clench of jaw muscles was all that gave away how angry Jiraiya was. Not that he had much right to complain. In these circumstances nonfeasance was just as bad as the crime itself.

"How bad was it exactly?"

"Have look." Hiruzen tossed Jiraiya the folder. It contained Naruto's shinobi rrcord, and all the information Yūgao had gathered on him to date.

* * *

Jiraiya immediately flipped the report over to the back page. Typically, a jōnin-sensei could write down their own comments regarding their genin here. It was mostly used for commendations, the occasional criticism, or any comments regarding extra-ordinary circumstances regarding a ninja.

Naruto certainly qualified for that last category, but he doubted that particular issue would be written down on paper. So what was his sensei on about?

That question was answered as soon as he started reading the report, and he didn't like what he found. _'Loner', 'no friends his own age', 'little attachment to the village'._ According to this, the only people who could say that they knew Naruto well was a ramen stand owner, and his daughter, and even they didn't know much about him. By all reports, Naruto was alienated from almost the entire community.

What had sensei been doing? From the looks of it, it sounded like Naruto had just been left to fend for himself.

Still, why had he been called back if not to train the boy?

Jiraiya looked to his sensei for an answer. "This still doesn't explain—"

"— I don't have to tell you how hard it is for an orphan at the academy. They lack the resources and the support structure that all clan children do. That's not to say orphans don't turn out to be good ninja, they quite often do, you're the perfect example of that. It's just that in most cases they start off a bit behind. Minato and Orochimaru were the exceptions, and they succeeded on sheer intelligence alone. "

Jiraiya agreed. Back when he had started academy he had struggled to read let alone comprehend the concept of chakra, and the many other things they needed to know before graduating. Admittedly, he was more interested in mucking around and messing with Tsunade than studying back then. Orochimaru was different though. Most things he understood almost instantly, and the things he didn't, he studied with a disturbing amount of commitment until he got it. Minato was the same only better, and he was much less of a dick about it than Orochimaru was.

"So you're saying Naruto at the same level as those two?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

"I don't know about that, maybe, maybe not. Honestly, it's hard to say. Naruto failed the exam twice, and was ranked dead-last in this years group."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, that had to be some sort of record.

"Yet despite that," sensei continued, "his skill level dwarfs any other genin in Konoha."

"Heh, that'll show-em," Jiraiya commented. It was always good to see an orphan out perform a clan heir. He used to love it when Minato out did Hiashi and Fugaku.

"However, unlike Minato and Orochimaru, Naruto was barely tolerated at the academy. In fact one of his teachers even attempted to frame him for treason."

_What? _He knew the gaki might not have an easy life all things considered, but it couldn't have been that bad. Surely. _  
_

"The attempt failed badly, I assure you."

"Oh?" He was a bit curious.

"Mizuki — one of Naruto's teachers at the academy— attempted to...solicit Naruto's assistance in stealing a forbidden scroll. He was obviously trying to set Naruto up. Naruto saw right through it and refused him...later on Naruto ambushed him while he was making on with the scroll... cut his hands off and paralysed him for the waste down," sensei explained.

_Damn. _It was by no means the worst thing he had ever heard of. He had see and done worse himself. However, it wasn't often you heard of a genin doing that to someone. It must be in his blood. Uzumakis were all nice and pleasant right up until you piss them off, and then — _B__am! _They stab you in the eye with a fork for taking a peek at their cleavage.

"Anyway," sensei continued. "What I'm getting at is that despite those obstacles Naruto skill level is comparable to Minato's and Orochimaru's at the same age."

_Wait…that can't be right_, thought Jiraiya. "B-but, Minato was a jōnin at that age, so was Orochimaru."

"Read the entire report, then tell me what you think."

Jiraiya turned his attention back to the folder. He flipped it back to the first page and started reading.

_Name: Uzumaki Naruto_

_Age: 16_

_Shinobi Registration Number: _012607

_Rank: Genin_

_Classification: B Rank / Sensor type_

"B rank, sensei? Isn't that a bit much?" Jiraiya asked. He couldn't really conceive the notion of a B ranked genin, even if the kid was older than most genin from his time. "Who did this threat assessment anyway?"

"Uzuki Yūgao," sensei answered. "She's Naruto's sensei by the way. She's also the one who introduced Naruto to sensory ninjutsu."

_Uzuki,_ he vaguely remembered the name. She was one of the top up and coming ANBU in Black Ops, if he remembered correctly. What was she doing teaching Naruto?

As he kept reading more and more things stood out as odd.

_Missions Completed: D rank: 73 / C rank: 4 / B rank: 0 / A rank: 4 /  
_

"Four A ranks as a genin?" Jiraiya asked. That was never heard of. In fact, it was almost suicide for a genin to take a single A rank mission.

"Two of them were upgraded B rank missions."

That explanation didn't inspire much confidence. Genin rarely ever took B rank missions either.

_Let's see…'Achievements: Killed __Rokushō__ Aoi' — heh, at least someone finally nailed that scumbag…hmm, 'retrieval of __Raijin no Ken'__…well, sensei will be happy. _The Sandaime had been pissed when he found out his sensei's sword had been stolen. '_Killed Momoichi Zabuza in Wave.'_

…

_What!? _

Quickly turning the page, he quickly examined the report on Naruto's skills.

_Taijutsu: Chūnin level_

_Kenjutsu: Jōnin_

_Ninjutsu: High Chūnin/Low Jōnin_

_Genjutsu: Jōnin_

_Known Jutsu:_

_Bunshin no jutsu – E rank_

_Henge no jutsu – E rank_

_Kawarimi no jutsu – E rank_

_Shun shin – D rank (Note: exceptionally proficient at this jutsu)_

_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – B rank_

_Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique) – A rank_

_Fūton: Shinkūjin (Wind Release: Vacuum Blade)_ _— B rank __**(1)**_

_Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu (Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique) __– B rank__** (2)**_

_Futon: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough) – C rank_

_Genjutsu: Kakushi Ken (Genjutsu: Hidden Blade) – C rank_

_Genjutsu: Suimin Yuudou (Genjutsu: Sleep Induction) – B rank_

_Genjutsu: Akai Shinkirō (Genjutsu: Red Mirage) – A rank_

_Blood Projection – C rank (as per Naruto's suggestion)_

Jiraiya for once in his life was at a loss for words. How could a genin accumulate such a repertoire of skills? While it certainly wasn't unheard of to have people with such skills at that age — there had been plenty of people who were considered S rank at the same age as Naruto was now: Sensei, Akuna no Sasori, even Orochimaru, and Tsunade. But all of those people developed those skills in war, and they graduated at half the age Naruto was now.

He hadn't even heard of some of these jutsu. Blood projection? Red Mirage?

"So…who'd you have teach him?" Jiraiya asked. It must have been someone good to get the kid to such a level.

"No one," his sensei replied flatly.

"What? But you just said he was discriminated against during the academy."

"That he was, and in hindsight I should have paid much more attention to Naruto than I did. It was my mistake and I'm now stuck trying to clean up the mess."

"What do you mean? What mess? You're not making sense?" Jiraiya asked. His sensei was avoiding the issue.

Sensei let out a tired sigh as he answered, "Naruto got his teaching from a person named Akeginu, the problem is that we have no idea who she is."

_Akeginu...never heard of her._

Now it was all becoming clear. Any village would want to get their hands on another jinchūriki. Had one already made a play for Naruto's loyalty? It was a good tactic provided they didn't get caught doing it. Akeginu was probably not even a real name.

"Haven't you used your ball?" Jiraiya asked. That should have cleared everything up.

"I've tried, but I haven't seen anything amiss except that Naruto seems to be able to escape the effects of the technique," his sensei replied much to Jiraiya's shock.

_That shouldn't be possible,_ thought Jiraiya. Tōmegane no Jutsu (Telescope Technique) was infallible. He had tried several times to get sensei to show him the technique, for research purposes, but sensei wouldn't part with it. Damn pervert was keeping it to himself. The idea that someone could escape the technique was mind boggling. It also made the situation worse. If Naruto could avoid Tomegane, or this Akeginu could block it, what was to stop them from leaving?

"So I take it you want me to have a look?"

It seemed he wasn't brought back to train Naruto after all.

"Yes. Get to the bottom of this. I haven't seen anything to suggest that Naruto is an enemy, but I want you to find out who has been teaching him, and more importantly, where their loyalties lie. Naruto says she's dead, but still…find out what you can. I suggest talking with Yugao as well, she knows him better than anyone."

* * *

_Knock. Knock. Knock. _Her knuckles rapt lightly against the timber, the soft echo of a hand impacting against wood resounded around her, followed by silence.

There was no answer. No person calling out from behind the door, no footsteps running to open it, or no turning of a lock. Just silence. It wasn't what she wanted to hear.

Kurenai stared in frustration at the door in front of her. _Was Naruto not home?_ She wondered. She was certain this was where he lived. She had Iruka. Perhaps he was out training with Yūgao, or maybe he was having breakfast in the village. Either way, he wasn't here and that was what was important...and annoying.

Letting out an annoyed sigh, Kurenai brushed her hand through her curly black hair. She was a little bit miffed that she missed him. All that excitement and nervous energy had just turned to disappointment.

It wasn't normally her habit to go out searching for someone in her own time, especially genin — unless it was Hinata, she had both professional and personal reasons for that.

Kurenai considered herself to be a very private person, and she liked to keep it like that. Despite being a member of Konoha's Shinobi Corps for quite some time, she only had a small circle of close friends. Only those few knew her beyond a professional capacity, the rest where just acquaintances, colleagues or, much to her dislike, _unwanted _admirers.

However, for some reason she felt compelled to go out and find Naruto. Part of it was definitely the fact that she wanted to repay him for the assistance he rendered years ago. Although she thanked him yesterday, a mere verbal 'thankyou' seemed inadequate compared to the help he provided her. Yūgao had mentioned Naruto used genjutsu, so she was hoping to provide some assistance in that regard. Though to be honest with herself, she was more than a little interested in what he was capable of. She remembered vividly how competent he was with a katana, if his genjutsu was anywhere near as good…well it would definitely be something she would be interested in seeing. It was selfish of her, but she couldn't help it. It was her 'art', so to speak.

Besides that, she was generally curious about him. Last night she raked her mind trying did up all the information she could remember about Naruto. Besides what she recalled from the night he saved her, all she really knew about him was from what other shinobi said about him and his academy reports. In other words she knew nothing. It was quite frustrating.

The only reliable sources were the Hokage — who she was certainly not going to bother with this — Iruka, who really did not know much about this 'knew, scary Naruto' as he called him, and Yūgao, who she would be grilling extensively once she located her. Unfortunately, the woman had conveniently disappeared yesterday following the chūnin exams. So, with Yūgao having gone underground and no other options available, she decided to go directly to the source.

With that in mind, here she was, waiting impatiently outside Naruto's apartment. Unfortunately it seemed that her curiosity was to remain unsatisfied, at least for the time being.

_I'm not having any lucky with this, first Yūgao, now Naruto. It's like they're avoiding me._

Since the chances of the door being opened by Naruto were dwindling as each second past, Kurenai decided to make her way back. Yūgao would pop up sooner or later. Maybe then she could get some answers, and chew out Yūgao at the same time. She was going to enjoy that.

As she made her way through the narrow streets of Naruto's neighbourhood she couldn't help but notice the state the place was in. It was clearly one of the poorer, if not poorest neighbourhoods in Konoha. Trash lined the streets, children played in filth, and the buildings were in various states of decay.

She knew there were suburbs of Konoha that were… less well off, especially following the Kyūbi attack, but not to this extent. It was a stark contrast to places such as the Hyūga clan grounds, which were beyond extravagant.

_How did I not know about this place?_ She wondered as she stepped around some garbage that had been unceremoniously tossed into the street.

_Has Naruto lived here his entire life?_

She wasn't very comfortable with the idea of Naruto, or anyone, living here, particularly as a child.

_Surely Naruto could afford to move to a better part of the village?_ While a genin's salary wasn't substantial — mainly due to the fact they didn't get access to the higher-level missions — it still should have been sufficient to allow Naruto to move to a better neighbourhood.

_Provided anyone would rent to him, _she reminded herself. It was no secret the civilian populous despised Naruto. Many ninja did as well, even if they did so less overtly and sometimes unconsciously. While most ninja weren't stupid enough — she hoped — to believe Naruto was actually the Kyūbi, many still resented him for holding the beast. Naruto was an easy target for their ire.

The rest were simply indifferent to his plight. The world was a harsh place, and sometimes people get a bad lot in life. Most ninja she knew had lost someone important to them over the years, either on missions or to the Kyubi attack sixteen years ago. To them Naruto was just one of many with a hard life. She herself had lost her father during the Kyūbi attack, and while she certainly did not hold that against Naruto, she hadn't exactly been sympathetic to him either.

Looking at it objectively, Naruto was a child alone in the world, hated for a reason behind his control, and treated like dirt by a large portion of the population while the rest simply didn't care enough to help. It was hard to see such treatment as anything other than child abuse.

Had she become so callous over the years that she could turn her back on that? Apparently, yes. It was a disconcerting thought.

She may not have been able to see Naruto this morning, but the trip here had certainly been an eye opener for her.

_Many I can genju—convince my landlord to allow Naruto to stay in my apartment block._

As that thought crossed her mind there was a flash of purple as Yūgao hoped down from a nearby roof to land beside her.

"I though I'd find you here." Yūgao gave her a knowing look, which she couldn't really decipher.

"What do you mean by that? And where _exactly_ have you been hiding?" Kurenai asked.

"I had a feeling you'd want to talk to Naruto," Yūgao replied, a teasing smile briefly accompanying her words before it disappeared as she became more serious. "Sorry about the disappearing act. Naruto and I had to talk with the Hokage yesterday...Naruto had a run in with Orochimaru."

_Oh no..._

"Is he all right?" Kurenai asked, the concern evident in her tone. She saw what Orochimaru had done to Kakashi's student, and was well aware of what that monster did to Anko as well.

"He's fine. Orochimaru just talked to him. You remember that Oto jōnin?"

Kurenai nodded her head, she remembered him.

"Well, that was Orochimaru in disguise."

_What!? _She couldn't suppress the shiver that went down her spine at the thought of being so close to that monster. She had only been a few feet from him during the Hokage's speech. The notion of him being in the same room as her genin was nauseating, and Naruto spoke words with him!

"Anyway, here I am," said Yūgao.

Kurenai gave her friend a dry look. "So I noticed."

"Yes…well, if you were looking for Naruto, you're out of luck. I gave him the day off."

Kurenai looked back in the direction of Naruto's apartment. "Then shouldn't he be—"

"At home?" Yūgao finished her sentence for her. "You'd think so, but no. I don't know where he goes in his spare time, but it's certainly not there."

Kurenai gave Yūgao a curious look. "What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that place is dangerous and leave it at that. It's certainly not where Naruto actually lives. I've been on A rank missions safer than that place."

Kurenai didn't know what to make of that statement. "So where does he live then?"

"Don't know."

…

"What do you mean you don't know?" Kurenai was incredulous. How could Yūgao not know where her apprentice lived? "How do you contact him for emergencies, or missions?"

"Out of hours? It hasn't been an issue so far. I usually just leave a message on his door. He differently gets them somehow, because he's annoyingly punctual. I can't even sleep in a couple of minutes without him judging me when I show up a few minuets late. He never says anything, but he gives you this look. You can just tell he's thinking something bad about you."

Kurenai couldn't help but smile at her friend's eccentricities. She had grown up with people like Gai, Kakashi, and Obito, so she was used to such behaviour. In fact Yūgao's was relatively mild in comparison. Then there was Anko…

"Anyway," Yūgao continued, "If you want to meet Naruto I suggest you join me at training tomorrow. Naruto's been bugging me about progressing his genjutsu skills for a while now...if you're interested..."

_That could work, _thought Kurenai. Two of her students were currently in hospital, and Shino would be training with his clan the majority of the month. This way she could get to know Naruto and pay him back at the same time. _Not to mention get a look at his skills, _she thought to herself. She was almost giddy with anticipation.

"All right," she replied. "So…Naruto's interested in genjutsu?"

She tried not to be too overt with her interest, but she was extremely curious. How good was Naruto? Yūgao wasn't one for hyperbole. If she said he was good than he was good.

"Extremely," Yūgao replied. "He's good at it as well, real good."

She couldn't even stop the excited smile from appearing on her face when she hard that. Very few ninja were interested in genjutsu. Most jōnin were competent at it of course, you had to be if you wanted the rank, but none specialised in it other than her-self.

The lack of popularity wasn't totally surprising. It was a field that required great chakra control, an active imagination and a lot of application. Few were willing to devout the time to it, particularly when they could get much more apparent results from ninjutsu.

It was a shame. Genjutsu was a field with literally limitless potential.

"How good is he?" Kurenai asked. The last person she could remember that had excelled in field other than her-self was Uchiha Itachi, and the less said about him the better.

"Good enough that I can't really help him much more," Yūgao replied. "I believe the word 'hack' was used repeatedly in reference to my skills in the area. Apparently I'm not up to snuff."

That was a little beyond her expectations. Yūgao was no slouch when it came to genjutsu. Her friend's talents may tend to lean towards the sensory arts, but she was still quite good at genjutsu. **(3)**

Once again she cursed her stupidity. She had just missed out on the chance to be the sensei of a student actually interested in genjutsu. It would certainly be the last time she ever let hearsay cloud her judgement.

"I'll definitely have to check him out then."

"I'll pick you up tomorrow," Yūgao replied.

"Sooo…when did you find out Naruto was the person who helped me?" Kurenai asked, secretly enjoying watching her friend wince.

"Ah…"

* * *

Meanwhile, at the ruins of Iga Tsubagakure Naruto and Akeginu were in deep discussion. The subject of their dialogue was Orochimaru, and more importantly, what could be done should his interest in Naruto become more than just a mild curiosity.

During the chūnin exams the Snake Sannin had demonstrated conclusively his ability to both detect Naruto and avoid Naruto's senses. If he had wanted to, Orochimaru could have killed Naruto right then and there during the preliminary stage of the exams.

Such an outcome was simply unacceptable, so something needed to change. There was also the issue of how easily Orochimaru detected his clones. They might be idiots, but they possessed the same skills as he.

"You'd have to use your mystic eyes Naruto. There' s no other choice," said Akeginu. They had been discussing how to go about defeating the Snake Sannin for some time now, but kept coming back to the same point.

"That's assuming I even detect him. As it stands he could lob of my head without me even noticing," Naruto replied. Not to mention that Orochimaru was considered a genius for a reason. He would likely notice that his ninjutsu didn't work when they made eye contact.

It was been quite a shock how easily Orochimaru got past his defences. Naruto senses were keen, extremely keen. Their sharpness had been developed through years of intense training, and survival exercises in the forest. Yet despite that, Orochimaru had effortlessly avoided detection.

Either Naruto's senses were not as good as he thought they were, or Orochimaru was just too good. It was likely a bit of both.

In hindsight it shouldn't have come as a complete surprise. If he could sneak up on people like Kakashi and Yūgao then obviously others could as well. It was a good lesson. Complacency gets you killed. Nothing he didn't know already, but sometimes reality hands you a wake up slap.

The traditional sensing techniques he learned from Akeginu obviously didn't cut it against the best anymore. He had assumed that already which was why he was so active in developing his sensory ninjutsu under Yūgao's tutelage. There were just too many techniques out there that allowed one to either fool or avoid the senses. It didn't matter how powerful his ninjutsu or genjutsu were, if he couldn't detect an enemy ninja then it was game over.

The main problem with the technique Yūgao taught him was that it was an active one. It functioned by sending a pulse of his own chakra and detecting any chakra signatures that came into contact with his own. Unfortunately, the technique had a blind spot. Someone could evade it by sneaking up on him before he activated the pulse or in between pulses. It was the same flaw most active sensory techniques suffered from. The superior ones tended to be sustained. The Byakugan for example function continuously once activated.

As useful as Yugao's technique was, he needed to either develop it further and mitigate that flaw or support it with another sensory technique.

While he was thinking Akeginu continued, "As much as I hate to say it, Kouga always had the superior hensōjutsu techniques. **(4) **We tended to rely on more… traditional methods."

He knew that by traditional methods, she meant seduction_. _What need did Akeginu have for stealth? To infiltrate a building or assassinate someone all she needed to do was walk up a guard or target, and feign interest. A quick batter of eyelashes here, a flash of cleavage there and she was in. He had little doubt that ninety-nine percent of men would be putty in her hands in less then a minute alone with her. Hell, most probably didn't even last that long.

However, such options were not available to him. Any highly ranked ninja would see through a henge at close range, and he had doubts about the effectiveness of his acting ability...at least in that regard. Such a technique wouldn't work on someone like Orochimaru anyway, even if he were a woman. He even had doubts Akeginu's cleavage would work on Orochimaru. Based on what he had read on the man, and considering his own brief meeting with him, Naruto concluded that the man was likely asexual.

Akeginu continued on, "I remember, they had this one ninja. He could literally move through solid objects. It didn't stop us from killing him of course, but it was quite creepy. It certainly gave new meaning to the saying 'the walls have ears'."

'_Creepy', says the woman who wears her own blood as a kimono. _It was an amusing thought. The Kouga technique was interesting though. His clones had witnessed Orochimaru do something similar. Such had technique had limitless utility. However, at the moment he had no way of getting his hands on a Kouga clan technique, which left him back at square one.

"However, I do think I have an answer to your detection problem."

That got his attention.

"Really?"

Why was he just hearing of this know?

"One of my comrades, Hotarubi, was capable of forging a mental link with creatures. Mostly temporary, but it could be made stronger. We used to have a hawk that was bound permanently to out clan leader. It would react to her intent, do whatever she wanted. It could act as a scout, a messenger, or at the very least an extra set of senses. Hotarubi herself used a snake. She benefited from it's ability to sense heat signatures."

"What's it called?" Naruto asked.

"A soul link."

_An interesting name...lots of meaning there._

He gave her suggestion some thought. The idea had promise. The main advantage the Inuzuka clan had over other sensory nin was that their sensory ninjutsu was essentially passive. It wasn't a jutsu at all really. The nin dogs senses were natural and always functioning, and therefore almost impossible to avoid unless you could interfere with their sense of smell, or mask your own.

If Akeginu's suggestion worked, it could potentially cover the flaw in his own sensory technique.

"What did you mean by 'mostly temporary'?" Naruto asked, seeking to clarify a few things.

"Hotarubi had some variations of the original Iga technique. The original is a permanent link to a specific creature. Traditionally we used a hawk. It allowed use to circumvent the traditional methods of Takagari. **(5) **Hotarubi though was able to develop ways of manipulating insects and reptiles whenever it was convenient for her to do so. I'm not sure on the details, but I think it was a form of hypnotism. She used to cultivate all manner of insects, butterflies and snakes."

"How come I never heard about this before?" Naruto asked. Come to think of it, he had never read any writings or texts by anyone named Hotarubi, though he knew she was a member of the Iga ten.

"Er…the storage vault for her scrolls is over in those groves behind the old salt storage rooms."

"Those gardens?"

Akeginu nodded her head, "She used to cultivate her butterflies and other bugs there, so I stayed well clear of it. The place is crawling with vipers anyway, and not regular Japanese ones either. She used to breed these ridiculously poisonous ones…extremely nasty bites."

"And I'm just hearing about this now? I used to play over there all the time when I was little!"

He sincerely hoped that she was pulling his leg.

"Go get the scroll, we can start working on it this week," said Akeginu enthusiastically, completely ignoring him in the process. Her selective hearing was acting up again.

"Fine. I'll go get the damned scroll," said Naruto as he got up off the ground. "But this conversation isn't over."

The words sounded hollow, even to his own ears.

* * *

_**The Following Morning**_

Naruto sat alone in the middle of the training ground, staring in frustration at the tools lying before him. They were a collection of simple items, a kunai, a shuriken, a senbon and an explosive tag. Just every day ninja tools used for shurikenjutsu. He was trying to do something special with them.

More specifically, he was attempting to recreate Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, and failing miserably. The jutsu was an invention of the old man's. Essentially, it utilised the same principle as Kage Bunshin only it involved 'cloning' a material object rather than oneself — simple in theory, but quite difficult in practice. **(6)**

Although he mastered Kage Bunshin relatively quickly, this jutsu was far more difficult and complicated. Thus far, he had discovered that constructing an exact copy of something like a shuriken or kunai required far greater control than a regular shadow clone. He also discovered that the process was far more complex. It turns out that cloning oneself is a rather intuitive process. Cloning a foreign item on the other hand required far more application. It was no wonder so few people knew this technique.

He had hoped to add a rather destructive ninjutsu technique to his arsenal, but now the visions of him blackening the sky with shuriken seemed quite far off. Hopefully once he got his own clones working on it, and had the actual process working properly, he could have it ready for combat use by the end of the week. It was a big maybe though.

"Still can't get it right?" Akeginu asked. She must have just arrived, appearing out of nowhere like she was custom to do. She usually scared the crap out of him.

He had been training alone for the last hour or so while she prepared and went over the scrolls for the spirit link. They planned to form the link once he decided on, and located an appropriate creature. He liked the idea of a bird personally, or maybe some variety of giant killer bear, but those were hard to come by in Fire Country.

"Watch this," he told her before throwing a shuriken at a tree. As the projectile flew through the air he blurred through the required hand seals: Ram, Rat, Bird, Boar, and Tiger.

Just before the shuriken collided with the tree trunk, it multiplied by several hundred creating a dangerous swarm of flying metal. The originally buried itself deep into the wood while the others puffed out of existence upon contact with the tree.

"Isn't that what it's supposed to do?" Akeginu asked. She looked rather impressed by the display.

"Not quite," Naruto replied. "Go, have a look."

The two of them walked up to the unfortunate tree Naruto had selected for target practice. The shuriken he had thrown was buried dead centre in the middle of the trunk, but otherwise the tree was relatively unmarked, showing only a few scars from Naruto's previous attempts at the jutsu.

Naruto pulled his shuriken out of the tree before turning to Akeginu. "The problem is that shuriken clones dispel as soon as they came into contact with the tree."

"So…they're not proper copies?"

"Mmhm, they're not an accurate enough copy… yet. It's somewhere between a regular clone and a shadow clone at the moment. They're solid, but not solid enough. "

"You're making progress though," Akeginu said. She made it sound like a statement of fact rather than an attempt to placate him, which he was grateful for. It was true as well. His first attempt didn't warrant mentioning, ever again, for as long as he lived. At least now he could actually consistently clone the shuriken, and even mark the tree. He wasn't looking forward to trying the technique with different shapes and items though.

Naruto paused as he sensed an incoming shunshin. "We have visitors," he told Akeginu.

"Ugh…not that woman again," Akeginu muttered under her breath, but he heard her clearly enough.

"Are you referring to Yūgao or somebody else?"

"Good question. There's so many I'm not even sure anymore." Akeginu paused, and narrowed her eyes at him in mock suspicion. "Do you plan on attracting the attention of every woman you meet or is it just the attractive ones?"

"I think you're exaggerating a little." Naruto was positive that the situation wasn't as bad as Akeginu was making it out to be. Sure, there was Kiriko, but there wasn't really anyone else, unless you counted Yūgao and she was here under orders from the old man.

"No, I'm most certainly am not," Akeginu replied, her flat tone making it clear that there was no doubt in her mind.

Before Naruto could put forth a defence a swirl of leaves announced the arrival of Yūgao, and to his surprise, Kurenai. Admittedly, Kurenai's presence didn't really help his case, quite the opposite in fact.

Packing away his shuriken and other projectiles, Naruto ignored the sense of smugness now radiating off Akeginu, and turned to welcome his visitors. "Sensei. Yūhi-san."

"Hey! I'm here too (cough)," exclaimed Hayate. "You didn't even notice me did you?"

Naruto glanced at Hayate. The sallow skinned jōnin was indeed present; his sickly decrepit form, a stark contrast to the two beautiful women beside him. It wasn't that Naruto didn't notice him; he was merely ignoring the man's presence knowing full well it would agitate him. Hayate was a fairly simple minded individual, quite easy to please and manipulate once you knew what buttons to push. Kind of like a farm animal.

"You're thinking something bad about me aren't you?" Hayate asked. "I can always tell."

"No," Naruto lied. "Why would you think that?"

"You have this look on your face…it's the same (cough) look I have whenever I tread in dog poo," Hayate replied.

"Well…I tend to avoid stepping in animals faeces so I'll have to take your word for it." Naruto turned back to the two women, _politely _ignoring Hayate. "What brings you here Yūhi-san?"

Kurenai gave Naruto a small polite smile. If he hadn't spent so much time in Akeginu's presence over the years he was sure that he would be blushing rather profusely right now. Kurenai was an extremely attractive woman. The light makeup she was wearing accentuated her distinctive crimson eyes, which in turn naturally contrasted with her ebony hair and pale skin. Her appearance was striking to say the least.

She was wearing the same clothes he had seen her in the other day, an assortment of bandages that were probably sturdier than they appeared, and red cloth. She showed enough skin to tell him she knew exactly what type of effect her appearance had on people, or men rather, and that she was willing to take advantage of it where she could — a pragmatic woman.

Like him, she also seemed to favour the colour red. Shades of crimson and scarlet where present beneath her bandages, most prominently displayed on the sleeve of her left arm. It seemed that they had more in common than a mutual interest in the art of illusions.

"Call me Kurenai-sensei, Naruto," Kurenai said.

That was an interesting thing to say. _Does she intend to teach me something?_ Naruto wondered. If that was the case he certainly had no issues with calling her that. "What brings you here this morning Kurenai-sensei?"

Before Kurenai could respond Hayate interrupted…again, "Wait, wait, wait, I've been training you for months and (cough) you don't call me sensei."

Naruto gave Hayate an annoyed glance. "I'll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I ever call you sensei, old man."

"I'm not old damn it!"

Naruto ignored the old man, and turned back to Kurenai, waiting for her reply.

Kurenai glanced back and forth between Naruto and Hayate curiously before replying, "Yūgao mentioned you had an interest in genjutsu," she explained. "So…I'd though I'd offer my services…you know, as a thankyou."

"Not that I'm complaining, but what about your own students? Shino may be one of my opponents in the final, isn't that a conflict of interest?" Naruto asked.

"Kiba and Hinata are in hospital, and will be for most of the month — by the way, you ruptured Kiba's spleen, and fractured his rib cage." Kurenai gave him a small glare, which Naruto just shrugged off, something that seemed to annoy her. He could have hurt the Inuzuka much worse if he wanted to.

Continuing, she explained, "Shino's going to be training with his clan most of the month. I can't really offer much assistance with his clan's techniques anyway."

That probably wasn't a good thing for Shino. As competent as he was, Shino needed to focus less on his clan techniques and more jutsu to his repertoire. Though as he understood it, Aburame clan members had quite low chakra reserves due to the presence of the chakra-consuming bugs in their bodies, so perhaps that was why.

"Nevertheless, I may end up fighting Shino," Naruto persisted. He was quite confident that Kurenai's offer was genuine, but it didn't hurt to make sure.

"We're all leaf nin here Naruto," Yūgao added.

_Well….that's certainly true, _Naruto thought. It was one of the reasons he didn't just cut Kiba in half with his katana when the Inuzuka inadvisably decided to engage him in close range combat. However, that wasn't to say everyone felt the same way. The Hyūga clan was a perfect example of that.

"Okay then, shall we start?" Naruto would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in seeing what Kurenai was capable of. Yūgao had her talents, but they didn't lean towards illusions.

"Sure. Naruto, we'll leave you and Kurenai to your genjutsu training this morning. We'll come back this afternoon, Hayate's got a new technique I want you to learn."

After she finished speaking Yūgao turned to leave when Hayate decided to speak up.

"So why are we—Ah!"

Yūgao jabbed Hayate in the ribs, "Shush."

Naruto just shook his head as Yūgao dragged Hayate off the training ground. Could she be anymore transparent?

He glanced at Kurenai who looked askance at Yūgao. She turned and gave him a nervous smile.

"Don't worry about her," Naruto replied, though he was sure that Kurenai was far more accustomed to Yūgao's antics than he was. "Shall we start."

"Um…before we start I wanted to thank you again. If you hadn't —"

"You don't need to keep thanking me. I was just nearby at the time, would you have ignored someone in the same position?"

"Well…no, of course not."

"Then what more is there to say on the matter?"

He actual a bit uncomfortable with it — people being nice to him…it was just weird.

"If you say so," Kurenai replied hesitantly. She didn't sound like she wanted to leave it at that. "While we're being honest with each other…I confess part of me just really wanted to see your genjutsu skills. There's not a lot of people I can 'talk shop' with, so to speak"

Naruto nodded his head excessively, seeing the opportunity for a little fun. "I already figured as much, you did seemed _awfully_ keen to train me. I imagine you'd probably use just about any flimsy pretext to talk to with me, so desperate were you for contact with another genjutsu specialist."

Kurenai put her hands on her hip, arms akimbo and scoffed, "I am not desperate...for anything."

"Come now, it's only the two of us here. You can tell me. I won't tell anyone about your mild obsession with me," Naruto said with fake innocence, and a wry smile on his face.

"Obsession?!"

Kurenai quickly regained her composure as she noticed the smile on Naruto's face. Yes, she was going to be a lot of fun.

"All right, let's just get to training shall we, before I dig my hole any deeper." He didn't touch that one, Kurenai gave him a sharp look as well just to make sure. "You're trouble I can tell."

"If you're done flirting with her, why don't you start training. Weren't you worried about some snake sage guy yesterday?"

Naruto glanced to his left to see Akeginu standing there, not looking the least bit impressed by his antics. Considering he learned most of his behaviour from her, it seemed at bit hypercritical.

"It's sannin not sennin," he said quietly to Akeginu as Kurenai was making her way towards the middle of the ground.

"Whatever. I'm going to go back to prep the ritual for the spirit link." Akeginu looked over at Kurenai, "I know that this might be hard for you, but if you can, try to keep your pants on."

_That was a little unfair_, Naruto thought. He was hardly promiscuous. Akeginu's acerbic tongue had become much more active recently.

As Akeginu left Naruto quickly caught up to Kurenai. The two of them walked over to the middle of the training ground where Kurenai focused back on him. There was a moment of comfortable silence as she decided on how she wanted this session to proceed. "Okay, I think the best way to gauge your abilities is for me to see them in practice."

Naruto smirked at Kurenai. "Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing."

Kurenai smirked right back at him. It was a matter of professional pride after all. He doubted she wanted to be outdone in her own speciality by a genin.

Naruto let the smirk fall from his face as he stepped back and faded from existence. The game had begun.

* * *

Kurenai quickly masked her surprise at seeing Naruto use a genjutsu without hand seals. If nothing else, the display was a good indication of what sort of talent she was dealing with.

Not wanting to be out done she quickly made a hand seal and disappeared in a shower of sakura petals.

For a few moments nothing occurred. An eerie silence descended upon the training ground. Then the two of them re-appeared, materialising out of thin air. Naruto's katana met Kurenai's kunai in a clash of steel.

"Not bad Naruto," Kurenai commented as she pushed him back. "Let's take it a step further."

As soon as the words left her mouth she lashed out with a kick, knocking Naruto backwards. Once she had enough space she flew through the hands seals: Dog, Snake, Monkey, Ox , Tiger .

"**Magen: Jubaku Satsu (Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death)"**

As she called out the name of the technique, Kurenai disappeared once again, and a few moments later a tree shot up behind Naruto, its limbs binding him in a tight hold from which he could not escape. The more he struggled the tighter the binds became. Once Naruto was securely imprisoned in the trees limbs Kurenai appeared above him, her upper body emerging from the tree itself.

She rested her kunai against Naruto's throat. "I win, Naruto."

"Not quite," Naruto replied calmly.

She gasped as a crippling pain ran straight through her body. If felt as if he had been struck by a raiton jutsu.

_What is…this?_

Her genjutsu collapsed under the stress of body was put under. Realising what was happening, she quickly cancelled Nauro's genjutsu.

"**Genjutsu: Kai (Genjutsu: Dissipation)"**

The pain disappeared immediately leaving the two ninja back where they started, each facing each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"That was one of my strongest genjutsu Naruto, well done."

She saw Naruto smile at her compliment, before replying, "It was a good illusion, completely restricted my movement, but it has one flaw."

"Oh?"

"It's not much good against people who don't need to use hand seals."

"Well…yes, I guess your right."

There weren't exactly a lot of people who could use techniques without hand seals, but she supposed that they were the ones she needed to watch out for the most.

"I recommend adding something that impairs the mental faculties as well."

_Interesting suggestion, _she noted.

"What was that genjutsu you used?" She was interested, there hadn't been any visual element to the illusion only an intense phantom pain in her body.

"I call it Genjutsu: Nyu-shokku (Genjutsu: Neural Shock). It's intended to mimic the effects of something like jellyfish sting. Crippling physical pain…I haven't been able to test prolonged exposure to the technique, but it's designed to put tremendous stress on the nervous system. Ideally if the target cannot counter it, it will induce cardiac arrest, and eventually death."

_Well…that's unpleasant, _Kurenai thought as she listened to Naruto's explanation. The lack of a visual element also meant that most people would think poison rather than illusion. Very sneaky.

"Okay, we're not done yet though." She was about to start her string bean genjutsu when Naruto said something that gave her pause.

"Yes we are."

She looked up to see blood dripping down Naruto's face.

_What!? _She gasped in shock at the sight before her.

"Are you all right?" She asked with concerned.

She didn't get up reply, instead the world around her started to take on a red tint.

"**Genjutsu: Kai."**

The dissipation had no effect. _Was the illusion that powerful. _The world became redder, and redder. Then she smelt it, the scent of blood. Poking her tongue out she detected the metallic taste of blood as well.

_Multi-sensory genjutsu? Or is it real?_

She didn't know which was more disconcerting. That Naruto was capable of creating a genjutsu so real that it fooled her sight, smell, and sense of taste, at the same time, or that this was actually blood, and there was an entire mist of it surrounding her.

She looked around but discovered that she could see no further than a few feet. Feeling a presence behind her she whirled around but found nothing.

Thoroughly unnerved, she started moving forward through the mist

"You can't escape that easily, Kurenai-sensei."

It was Naruto's voice.

She tried disrupting her chakra flow again, but it was no use. She was still trapped in the blood mist. Trying another option she cut the palm with a kunai. Still no change.

_Damn it, how is he doing this?_

As the question formed in her mind she founded herself surrounded by a whirlwind of sakura petals. It reminded her of her own genjutsu technique, except that these petals were blood red.

The petals coalesced into a female human form. What shocked her was that the form resembled her own. The facial features were an exact match, as was the hair style and clothes. The only difference was that the copy was made entirely out of red sakura petals.

She quickly hurled a kunai straight at the sakura clone, but the kuani passed harmlessly through the clone's head. All she accomplished was disturbing some petals, which quickly reformed.

The clone then charged straight at her, she lashed out with a kick but her foot, like the kunai, went straight through the sakura clone. She gasped as the clone's hand wrapped tightly around her throat. Desperately, she struck at the clone's wrist with a kunai she had concealed in her clothes.

The attack managed to disperse the petals that formed the clone's arm, allowing her to roll away. Unfortunately when she rose she was struck in the back of the head by the clone, which must of reformed behind her.

_Damn it._ She was about to stab herself in the arm in another attempt to dispel the genjutsu when she heard Naruto again.

"Now, it's over."

She spun in the direction of Naruto voice and found herself staring at the tip of Naruto's blood soaked katana. As she stared at the blade the world around her receded. Sunlight and blue sky seeped back into her reality, and soon everything was back to normal.

She glanced back at Naruto who was sheathing his katana.

_What just happened?_

Her heart was beating so loudly she was positive Naruto could hear it.

"Amazing." She couldn't begin to describe how she felt. Equal parts frightened and excited...giddy? She hadn't seen anything that amazing in years. Certainly nothing genjutsu related. She had to forcibly stop herself from gushing like a fan girl.

"I take it you liked my Red Mirage," Naruto said.

She just mutely nodded her head in reply. She wasn't sure if she could properly form coherent sentences right now. "It…felt so real."

"Parts of it were," Naruto responded. "That's the beauty of it. The person trapped inside cannot tell what is real and what isn't. The blood for example, is quite real. I use it to trap the person, remove their sense of space and direction. It makes the genjutsu more effective and also functions to conceal me while I bombard you with as many illusions as I like without fear of injury."

_Brilliant_. That was what the thought that was going through her mind. Naruto was a genius. The technique was a combination jutsu involving some obscure blood ninjutsu she had never heard of, and genjutsu. No wonder her attempt at dissipating genjutsu didn't work. Naruto probably was even using a genjutsu up until she saw that doppelganger of her.

Speaking of the doppelganger. "Do you always use a clone made of red sakura petals?"

"No…the genjutsu element of the jutsu is relatively free form. Since I'm hidden in the mist I can actually tailor the illusions to whoever's trapped inside. There's no need to rely on prepared jutsu. I go the idea of using petals from that genjutsu you used earlier."

Kurenai just shook her head in amazement. To say she was impressed would be an understatement. That technique was better than anything she had ever developed. She was definitely going to love talking with Naruto about later.

"Let's take a few minutes break."

She needed some time to process what she had just seen. Yūgao had told her Naruto knew an A ranked genjutsu, but hearing about it and seeing it were two very different things.

* * *

_**10 Minutes Later**_

"You know…I was surprised when I first heard you were so good at genjutsu. Most people with chakra reserves your size tend to specialise in ninjutsu. Not to mention most genin want to learn ninjutsu," said Kurenai. She took a sip of water as she waited for Naruto's reply. The two of them were sitting on a large rock at one end of the training ground.

"Most genin are idiots," Naruto replied curtly. She couldn't help but think he was imagining Kiba when he said that. "I find genjutsu more versatile than ninjutsu. To get the same versatility out of ninjutsu you need to become competent at multiple forms of nature manipulation. That's virtually impossible for a genin unless they have access to a bloodline."

She couldn't help but smile at Naruto's answer. He viewed genjutsu in the same light as she did.

"That's not to say I ignore ninjutsu," Naruto continued. She didn't interrupt him. She got the feeling that he wasn't very talkative, so it was best to listen when he talked. "But I find genjutsu more dangerous."

"How so?"

She had her own views on the subject, but wanted to hear what Naruto was thinking.

"The true dangers of the world lie in preconceptions. They get you killed. Did you know that for five years I could have assassinated anyone in the village with consummate ease. "

She wanted to ask him what the hell he meant by that, but Naruto put a hand up stoping her.

"Tell me, before you saw me during the chūnin exams, what was your opinion of me?" Naruto asked.

It was not a question she wanted to answer.

"I confess… I would have taken you at face value."

She cringed as she said it. _Stupid. _She basically just said she thought he was an idiot.

"Well…at least your honest about it. Most ninja I see around here are too arrogant to admit their mistakes. Anyway, back on topic. You're a jōnin, one of this village's elite. Yet if I had my hair short, was wearing orange, and ran around shouting a lot, I could have walked straight up to you and you wouldn't have perceived me as a threat, at least not until I shoved a kunai through your throat."

Kurenai cringed at the mental image that formed in her mind. He was right though. She knew the rumours about him. Most ninja thought he was a loser.

"For years I played the fool and not one person sort to look beyond the surface. Everyone was all too ready to accept his or her own assumptions about me. As you said, most people took me at face value."

Naruto let out a short laugh, "I didn't know whether to laugh or be appalled. People make assumptions, they have preconceived notions about how things should be. Genjutsu, more than any other form of jutsu allows me to take advantage of those assumptions. It even allows me to kill people with them."

His eyes focused back on hers and Naruto cleared his throat, "You'll have to excuse my exposition, Kurenai-sensei, I'm usually not so loquacious. This village's complacency been a constant source of annoyance for quite some time."

"No…I asked. You've certainly given me something to think about."

* * *

_**That afternoon**_

Following his training session with Kurenai, Yūgao and Hayate joined Naruto at the training ground.

He had been pleased with how the morning went. Team 8 were quite fortunate to have Kurenai as their sensei. She was intelligent, competent, and very through when it came to training.

Unfortunately for Kurenai, Team 8 was comprised of clan heirs. Although technically that made her job easier, he doubted any of her genin would take advantage of the opportunity to learn much from her beyond team tactics. They would all be far too concerned with learning their respective clan jutsu. Not that he minded, he would be more than happy to utilise her skills in her spare time.

"All right Naruto. We're going to show you a new ninjutsu technique. It's nothing special, but it has its uses." Yūgao turned to Hayate. "Show him."

Hayate made some hand seals.

"**Toton Jutsu (Transparent Escape Technique)."**

As soon as he finished the jutsu Hayate disappeared from sight.

_Light reflection? _Naruto wondered. It definitely wasn't genjutsu.

A second later Hayate repapered. He was in the same spot.

"It's a camouflage technique that allows you to conceal your presence," Hayate explained.

"Sounds useful," Naruto replied.

"(Cough) It has one major weakness though, you can't move while you're using it. If you do

"Oh…and here I though you had managed to get your hands on Meisaigakure no Jutsu (Hiding with Camflage Technqiue)."

"Not quite," Yūgao said. "Iwa guard their jutsu seriously."

That was an understatement. Hayate had as much chance of getting his hands on that as he did the secrets of Jinton (Dust Release).

"Yes, well, it's still quite useful. Jiraiya-sama himself taught me this," Hayate said rather proudly.

Naruto didn't look convinced. "Uh huh. So you're the apprentice of one of the sannin now?"

"Ah—no."

"Thought not."

"He still showed me it though. Apparently he uses it all the time for intelligence gathering (cough)."

Naruto turned to Yūgao, "So, I'm to learn this?"

Yūgao nodded her head before chucking him a bokken. "Yep, but we're also going to use this to work on your sensory ninjutsu. Hayate here will use the jutsu while you try and find him. He'll attack you so be cautious and don't let your guard down."

"Heh he, payback time."

Naruto looked over a Hayate who as warming up with his own wooden sword. "You seem to be happy over there in your little fantasy world. I'll be more than happy to reacquaint you with reality."

"Not (cough), not this time. No more Iaido, Naruto. This time we're in my element."

Naruto rolled his eyes. Hayate was delusional if he thought he could out stealth him, camouflage jutsu or not.

* * *

_**Two Hours Later**_

Hayate woke up to find a nurse standing over him adjusting some bandages on his head. He also had what was probably the worse headache he had ever felt.

He glanced to his right to see Yūgao standing there. She looked a little embarrassed to be there. They were fast becoming regulars, or he was anyway.

"What happened?"

"Memory loss?" The nurse asked.

Hayate shook his head.

"You took a bad blow to the head," the nurse explained. "You'll be free to go once we check you don't have any concussion."

_Bad blow to the ego more like it._

He lost yet again.

* * *

_**2 Days Later**_

Naruto and Akeginu walked through the forest, their eyes panning across the canopy in search for the right bird. They weren't having much luck.

This had been the first bit of free time he had to actually go out and find a creature to form a spirit link with. He had been training rather intensely with Kurenai, and Yūgao all week.

He and Akeginu both agreed that an avian was the best choice. Firstly, Akeginu actually knew how the spirit link worked, at least in regard to a hawk. The techniques used to bind some of the more esoteric creatures mentioned in Hotarubi's writings were foreign to her, and they really didn't need any complications. Secondly, Akeginu said a giant killer bear was as stupid idea...so here they were, bird watching, or trying to at least. They hadn't seen a suitable bird all day.

"I think it's time to call it a day Naruto. We're losing sunlight."

They had been at it for several hours now. The sun was still up, but here in the forest beneath the canopy it tended to get dark a bit quicker, and that was generally when the more dangerous predators came out.

"All right," Naruto replied. He gave the forest one last look before heading back with Akeginu.

As they made their way back to the ruins, they were fortunate to come across the sight of a large owl swooping down on an unsuspecting snake.

_If that isn't symbolic, I don't know what is, _thought Naruto as he observed the bird and its land on a branch above them.

The owl was well camouflaged among the trees. Its feathers were predominately light brown, especially around the plumage, though they faded into a darker shade around the edges of its feathers. It was quite large for an owl, almost the size of a small eagle. Its most distinctive feature was its large orange eyes and prominent ear tuffs. **(7)**

"I think we've found what we're looking for," said Naruto.

"An owl? Are you sure Naruto?"

He understood Akeginu's reticence. He had read enough about her culture to know that many thought the owl to be an ill omen, a creature associated with death and bad luck. However, he thought it was a suitable choice for a shinobi; an owl was a creature of darkness not light, just like a shinobi.

He also knew that owls flew in complete silence, and as a nocturnal hunter they had the best senses amongst the birds. It was a perfect choice for him.

"I'm sure," he told Akeginu.

Akeginu look up at the owl before looking backing at him. "All right then…good luck catching it."

Naruto made his way to the tree, he doubted catching it would be as hard as Akeginu was implying.

* * *

**Three hours later**

It turned out that Akeginu's estimation was correct after all. Catching the owl had not been a simple task. He had no problem getting close to the creature, but whenever he moved to catch the bird, it simply flew away to another branch.

Killing it would have been a simple task, and he did briefly consider it, but doing so would have been pointless — though he probably would have enjoyed it.

Eventually he had been able to subdue the bird through judicious use of shadow clones.

So now he, Akeginu and a rather disgruntled owl were making there way through the ruins. It was fortunate that he was wearing his ebon ropes otherwise the owl's talons would have torn his arm to ribbons.

"So where do we do this?" Naruto asked Akeginu.

"In the courtyard," she replied. "Do you remember what you have to do?"

Naruto nodded his head. The ritual was rather straightforward. Provided he followed the instruction in Hotarubi's writings correctly, he would forge a link between himself and the owl. It sounded like something a Yamanaka would do, but there was no transferring of minds going on.

The ritual required a small amount of his blood, which was then mixed with some odd ingredients in a mortar and pestle. He would then consume half of the mixture while they would feed the Owl the other half. Simple.

According to Hotarubi's writings, once this was done he would be able to feel a connection with the bird. The process wouldn't make the bird any smarter, but it would grant the creature an intuitive grasp of his intentions.

They would soon find out one way or the other if it worked liked that.

As they reached the courtyard Naruto handed the owl off to a shadow clone.

"Ready?" He asked Akeginu.

Akeginu nodded her head and walked over a table she had set up. For the last few days Akeginu had been working on the blood mixture. It wasn't as simple as just mixing everything together. Everything needed to be added at exactly the right time. Materials needed to be broken down, compounds needed to form. The alchemy involved was very particular, and not altogether different from the process used to create the oil for his ebon topes.

Akeginu picked up two bowls that were on the table. She handed one to him, and the other to one of his clones. Each bowl contained the blood they needed to ingest.

"Ready?" Akeginu asked. She was asking both him, and his clone.

He nodded his head while predictably his clone chose to complain.

"Do I have to?" His clone asked. "Look at the size of that beak."

"Just do it." Akeginu's tone was impatient. She never really liked his clones, not that he blamed her. Those things could try anyone's patience.

While his clone tried to pry the owl's beak open, he brought the bowl to his lips and poured the mixture down his throat. As expected the mixture tasted foul. Three day old blood mixed with kami knows what else. It was no wonder it was the worst thing he ever tasted.

But, apart from the feeling of bile threatening to make it's way up his throat, he felt nothing out of the ordinary.

"I can't believe you actually drank that." Akeginu had a fairly disgusted look on her face as she watched him consume the mixture.

"Me either," he confessed. "Nothin—"

Suddenly his vision blurred he fell to his knees as pain wracked his body.

"Naruto!"

He heard Akeginu call out his name, but he was more concerned with what was happening to his body. The pain was centered in his head —generally not a good thing, but as quickly as it came it disappeared.

_Weird, _he thought. _Did the ritual work?_

He felt a spike of spiritual energy leave his body. He recognized it; he would have to be a moron not to considering how often he used genjutsu.

It nothing else, this confirmed one thing that had been on his mind for sometime. Chakra might not have been around in Akeginu's time, but the different energies that made up chakra certainly were. They were just mostly inaccessible.

Akeginu herself was evidence that spiritual energy was around back then. She was essentially a giant ball of the stuff. Furthermore, he had read more than a few old texts that referenced yōkai and other spiritual creatures. The ninja of Akeginu's time didn't have the luxury of a chakra network so they were forced to go to extreme means to access and make use of the energy. This ritual was a perfect example of that.

It made sense, chakra didn't just appear out of nowhere, but rather humans evolved to use it.

The trickle of spiritual energy made it way to the owl. The effects of the process were just as evident on the owl as it was on him, though far less dramatic. Where as before, the owl had been attempting to bite his clone's fingers off, as soon as the spiritual energy came into contact with the it, the owl calmed down instantly, as if it knew it was in no danger.

Apparently the ritual worked after all. He could feel the owl's presence, not in a sensory way; he just instinctively knew it was there.

Spiritual energy was the energy of the mind, or of the soul if you wanted to be more mystic about it, whatever you wished to call it, it seemed that this spirit linked was aptly named. It was a connection forged using spiritual energy.

He looked forward to testing and improving on the limits of the technique.

"So it worked then?"

Naruto looked over to Akeginu who was looking at him with concern. "Yes…I think so."

Akeginu looked over to the owl, which was perched calmly on his clones arm. "Are you going to name it, or are you just going to call it 'owl'?"

"Um…is it male or female?" He couldn't really tell by looking at it.

"Female, I think."

"Then I think I'll call it Oboro." To this day he still remembered that violet eye woman from his mirror. Thanks to her he had met Akeginu.

"If…if that's what you want."

Akeginu seemed a little conflicted at his choice of name, understandably so.

_Uh-hu_

"See she likes it."

"Call it what you wish," said Akeginu before giving the owl a pointed look. "But if it does its business anywhere near me, it's dead."

Whatever inner conflict she had apparently had been very short lived.

* * *

_**3 Days Later**_

Jiraiya moved silently through the trees. Step by step he closed in on his target with the practiced ease of a person who had spent a lifetime on the battlefield.

His intent was not to do harm. Today's objective was purely concerned with information gathering. Sensei wanted him to look in on Naruto, so that's exactly what he planned on doing. Though hopefully he could get a bit of research done on the side.

He had long since mastered the art of multitasking, at least in so far as perving was concerned.

He finally found the target, but paused on the tree branch at the sight before him.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

Jiraiya hoped off the tree and into the bushes below, he wanted a better look at what was going on.

There, in the middle of the training ground stood Naruto. Jiraiya couldn't help see Minato in him. The boy was almost a clone of his former student, except for the fact that he had long hair. He certainly approved of that. Any cool hero should have a ponytail. He never could get Minato to grow his hair that long.

Besides that, Naruto was dressed quite differently from Minato; dark colours, a katana —which he expected, having read Naruto's profile — and long wide sleeves. He certainly looked like a dangerous ninja. A bit too shady for his liking though, the boy needed some colour in his look. Good guys didn't wear black, or navy blue, or whatever it was he was wearing. ?

What was more interesting was that next to Naruto stood Yūhi Kurenai, probably the hottest woman in Konoha now that Tsunade wasn't around.

The two seemed to be in discussion about something, he couldn't quite make out what they were saying — something about inverting a subject's perceptions space and direction. It sounded like complex genjutsu talk to him. Boring.

He was far more interested in the body language on display. Jiraiya knew the signs of attraction when he saw them. He was an expert on body language, especially female body language.

The way the woman's eyes tracked Naruto's every movement, the body contact. It was subtle; a brief hand on his wrist, a light brush of a shoulder, a general close proximity. Women weren't physical with men they didn't like, at least not in that way.

How the gaki attracted the interest of the most desired woman in Konoha was beyond him. Lucky bastard.

_Ooh-hu_

"Huh?" He glanced up to see the largest owl he had ever sitting on the branch above him. _What the?_

_Ooh-hu_

Jiraiya gave it an annoyed look. The dumb bird was going to give away his position.

What the hell was an owl doing out in broad daylight anyway? Did the aviary loose one of its birds? It wouldn't surprise him. Those guys over in cryptanalysis were smart, but he never met a more disorganised bunch of people.

"Shoo. Shoo." He tried to wave the bird away, but it wasn't budging. It just looked down at him with it with those creepy orange eyes.

_Uh-hu_

He glared at the bird. It wasn't taking the hint. He was about to throw something at it when he felt someone's gaze on him. Turning, he saw that Naruto was looking directly at his position.

_No,_ he corrected himself. Naruto was looking upwards at the bird. Or so he thought — the shuriken that flying directly at him suggested otherwise.

_Damn, _he leant to the right so that the shuriken would fly harmlessly past his shoulder, but froze when he saw Naruto form some hand seals that he would recognise anywhere.

"Shit."

He managed to substitute with a log just as a hail of shuriken impacted with the bushes he had been hiding behind.

* * *

"What—"

"— Excuse me for a moment, sensei," Naruto said before disappearing with a shunshin.

Kurenai barely heard him. Her eyes were firmly set on the bushes where Naruto had just made several hundred —_solid — _shuriken appear out of thin air. The jutsu had torn the nearby bushes apart.

She sincerely hoped Shino didn't have to fight Naruto during the exam.

* * *

_Shit…that was a close one, _thought Jiraiya as he re-appeared amongst the foliage. He didn't relish the thought of ending his life as a pincushion.

_I guess we can add another A rank technique to the gaki's repertoire. _

"But where did he pick up sensei's old technique?" He thought to himself out loud.

Any further contemplation was cut short when he sensed an incoming shunshin. Jiraiya managed to conceal himself using his Tōton Jutsu (Transparent escape technique) just as Naruto appeared.

_A bit too close for my liking, _thought Jiraiya as Naruto landed not two feet away from him. He stayed perfectly still and watched with amusement as Naruto looked around curiously, clearly wondering where he had disappeared.

_Heh, heh. Works every time. _He had avoided many disgruntled women using this very technique.

He stiffened as Naruto eyes passed over him. He could have sworn that Naruto's eyes paused briefly right on the very spot he was standing.

_Na, impossible._ The gaki was a sensor though…

If it hadn't been for his many years of experience, he was sure that he would've missed it. In fact, it was only the ability to read the kid's body movements that saved him. A subtle shift in the footwork, a tightening of the right shoulder, followed by a minor adjustment to his centre of gravity and...

_C__lick._

He felt the tip of the blade scrape against his throat as he leaped backwards. The katana appeared out of thin air, almost opening up his jugular. He wasn't fooled though. The drawing of the blade was just faster than his eyes could track. He guessed one would need the sharingan to actually see it fully.

_Not bad at all, _but it wasn't the first time he had come across an attack so fast he couldn't see it. It took a bit more than that to finish him off these days.

Despite narrowly avoiding decapitation, he wasn't out of danger. As the katana went past his throat a razor sharp blade of wind ran off its edge, heading straight at him.

Only the fact that he could perform a substitution without hand seals saved him.  
_Damn...I haven't come that close to dying since the Second Shinobi War, _thought Jiraiya as he landed on a tree branch above Naruto. He touched his neck, there was a thin trail of blood where katana had scratched him. It was solid evidence of just how close he had come to biting the looked down at Naruto who was sheathing his katana. It seemed the kid was another Mifune. He couldn't recall anyone else capable of drawing a blade quite that fast, at least not outside Iron Country. Iaido was a pain to deal with. You couldn't really perform any close range ninjutsu without the risk of losing your hands — not an appealing prospect for any shinobi.

Jiraiya paused as a pair of blue eyes stared up at him. Just for a moment he could of sworn he was looking into the eyes of his former student. The gaki's face was very similar, if a far bit paler than Minato was.

_Damn…those eyes of his are uncanny. _

"What are you?"

The question brought Jiraiya out of his memories. The question was a weird one, not 'who', but 'what'? What the hell did that mean? It was like the kid thought he was some sort of enigma.

Shrugging, Jiraiya hoped down from the tree, landing in front of Naruto. "Hehhe, glad you asked Gaki. **Kuchiyose no Jutsu !"**

A cloud of smoke announced the arrival of Gama, and the commencement of the most awesome introduction in ninja history.

"Be prepared to bask in the presence of Mount Myoboku's great Toad Sennin —huh"

Jiraiya stoped striking his pose; his audience had disappeared.

"Where'd he go?"

As he wondered where Naruto had disappeared to he noticed a stain on his shoulder.

It was bird poo.

"Ahhh!"

* * *

Naruto arrived back at the training ground to find Kurenai waiting patiently for his return.

"So?" She asked.

"Nothing, just some guy trying to perve on you."

Kurenai frowned; it was probably a regular occurrence for her.

"Thanks, Naruto."

"No problem."

"Anyway, let's start some meditation. Meditation is the best way to improve your control of your genjutsu, as well as master yin release. The genjutsu you want to create is extremely complex. To make it functional in combat, you're going to have to boost your control of yin release considerably."

He had asked for Kurenai assistance on the creation of a new genjutsu. One designed specifically to take advantage of his kenjutsu skills. Her assistance would wipe months off the time it would normally take for him to create such a technique.

They both sat down and started meditating . Naruto's thoughts were elsewhere though. Despite what he just said to Kurenai, Naruto knew better.

_That weirdo earlier was definitely Jiraiya, the Toad Sannin. _

There weren't exactly a lot of ninja with Kage level chakra reserves around.

So, what was Konoha's strongest shinobi doing spying on him?

* * *

_**2 hours later**_

Three hours later Naruto and Kurenai were walking down the main street of Konoha. Naruto was fairly happy with how the morning had gone. His intial attempts at constructing his new illusion had failed miserably. He had a good idea he wanted to create, however taking that idea and turning it into reality was another matter.

Kurenai had told him straight out that he just didn't have the control yet to accomplish what he wanted. He was thankful for that, had he remained ignorant he may have spent months struggling with something that was essentially impossible. So for the foreseeable future it would be meditation for him.

After their morning session, Kurenai had suggested they meet up with Yūgao for lunch. He didn't think much of it at the time, however, now as he walked down the street next to Kurenai, he was having seconds thoughts. They were attracting a lot of attention.

Not the hate filled glares, derogative comments and occasional death threats that were usually directed at his orange clone. This attention was the curious sort. People were wondering who he was and more importantly —to them anyway — why was he walking next to Kurenai.

As always it was amusing how none of them recognised him. A mere change of clothes, and a different hairstyle was enough to bypass their petty hatred.

He glanced at his companion; she didn't seem to notice the attention they were attracting. No, that wasn't right, she probably did notice, but was ignoring them. He supposed such attention came with being attractive; she had probably put up with it for the majority of her adult life. Particularly since she was a ninja and a jōnin as well.

His morning soon took a turn for the worse as the one word he didn't want to hear was yelled out across the street.

"Boss!"

Naruto groaned. _Not this kid again._

* * *

_**Flashback – Two days prior **_

It was early afternoon, and Naruto had just finished lunch following his morning session with Kurenai. Yūgao had given him the afternoon off, but he decided to get in at least a few hours of training. As such, he was on his way to his usual training ground when he was interrupted.

"Owe!"

Naruto turned around to find a ridiculous looking kid standing behind him holding a blanket. The kid had short spiky brown hair, and was wearing a yellow shirt and grey shorts. He called the kid ridiculous looking because he was wearing a blue scarf that was clearly meant for adult. It was an accident waiting to happen.

"Hey…you! Creepy looking guy."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that remark. The boy shouldn't be talking about other people's looks considering what he was wearing.

"You just trod on me."

Naruto looked at the kid again then back where he had just 'trodden' on the kid. The kid was standing there with his hands on his waist giving him a rather heated glare. "Sorry, I assumed you were practicing being a doormat and wanted someone to walk over you. Why else would you be lying in the middle of the street?"

He had seen the kid of course. It was a hard not to notice him lying there. He hadn't seen such a bad example of an E rank jutsu since…well ever.

"I wasn't trying to be a doormat!"

"Really? Could've fooled me."

He didn't really know what the kid was trying to achieve. Was he spying on someone? Perhaps he was a stalker. The kid only looked to be about nine or ten; too young for that sort of thing.

The kid pointed at the store across the street. "I was trying to infiltrate that building."

Naruto glanced in the direction the kid was pointing. It was a bookstore. He thoughts could be summed up pretty concisely, "Why?"

"Grandpa secretly orders books from that store. He thinks no one notices, but I do. So, I'm trying to find out his secret."

The kid looked fairly pleased with himself for some reason.

"You do know you can just go in and ask, there's no need to…how did you put it? 'Infiltrate it' ."

The kid disagreed, "Yes I do! They won't sell me it. The shop owner says the orange book is for adults only. It's a conspiracy."

Naruto had a good idea of which book the kid was trying to get his hands on. It was quite popular amongst the male population of Konoha, or at least the ones who weren't getting any.

"Well…good luck with that." Naruto was fast losing interest in the conversation. He had only been mildly curious as to why the kid was acting like a moron. That curiosity had been sated.

"Wait! Are you a ninja?"

"Don't ask questions you already know the answer to."

He did it all the time himself, usually to hide his own knowledge or feign ignorance. Which was exactly why he had no intention of putting up this that kind of crap from anyone else.

With that said Naruto left the kid to his business.

Or so he thought. The kid had apparently decided to abandon his 'mission' — not a good precedent — to 'infiltrate' the bookstore. Instead choosing to annoy the hell out of him all the way to the training ground.

It had been annoying five lifetimes ago, now the incessant yapping was starting to grate on his nerves. Worse still, it was getting in the way of his training.

"Runt, why are you following me?" Naruto asked. He had finally had enough and decided to get to the crux of the matter.

"I'm not short!"

_Hmm, a sensitive issue for him, _Naruto noted. The kid was short though. Very short.

"Answer the question. Why are you following me? Weren't you going to break into that store and steal some porn?"

"I'm not a thief — hey! What do you mean steal porn?"

"Ninja's are thieves when the situation calls for it, and by 'porn', I mean that orange book. What did you think the store owner said when he told you it was for adults only?"

"Oh…I thought it was ninja related."

Naruto sighed. The kid must have led a sheltered life. Either that, or he was just thick headed. Naruto took another look at the kid, _yep definitely thick headed_. "You're too young for that stuff anyway. What are you, eight? Nine?"

"I'm twelve years old!"

"Really?" Naruto asked the question honestly. The kid was definitely short for his age then.

"Yes!" The kid seemed a bit indignant. It probably wasn't the first time someone had mistaken his age.

"You're very short," Naruto observed.

That comment didn't help the situation, but it was amusing to see the kid glare at him.

"You still haven't answered my question," Naruto reminded the kid.

The kid seemed to be thinking something over, or trying to at least. He had a weird look on his face, like a chimp trying to understand advanced physics. Naruto could almost see the cogs struggling to turn inside the kid's head.

Still, the kid managed to surprise him with what he said next, and not in a good way."I've decided that you're to be my knew teacher."

He wasn't amused. It was a nice bit of unilateral decision-making, but he was having none of it.

"No." He hadn't done anything to deserve such a fate.

"But—"

"No."

"But"

No."

….

"No"

"I didn't say anything!"

"You were thinking it though."

Having effectively dealt with the issue, Naruto went back to ignoring the kid. He needed to start training.

Unfortunately the kid was still there. He could feel the kid's eyes on him, staring right at him. The kid was intelligent enough to try a different approach, and introduced himself, or maybe he was just being polite. The kid didn't seem the manipulative type.

"I'm Konohamaru."

Naruto looked at the boy."Don't lie to me. No parent would ever name their child something so ridiculous."

Except maybe his own — who knows where his parents got the fool notion to name him Naruto.

The kid seemed to take exception to his remark, "I'm not lying! That's my name, even though nobody calls me that."

_Konohamaru…_It wasn't surprising no one said that name out loud. He almost felt sorry for the kid. Almost.

"I suppose I'll have to take your word for it. Anyhow, you're interfering with my training. Leave."

"Please! Teach me." The kid was persistent.

"Teach you what? Aren't you already in the academy?"

He even managed to say that last bit with a serious face.

"Um…" The kid floundered around for a few moments. Cleary he hadn't thought too far ahead. Naruto could actually see the kids eyes brighten up as he spotted the katana on his waste.

"That," the kid pointed at Naruto's katana. "Teach me how to use that sword."

"No," Naruto responded curtly. "Why do you want to learn kenjutsu anyway?"

"I want to defeat the old man."

"Who is ' the old man'?"

"My grandpa, the Hokage."

He already knew the runt was related to the old man. All men of the Sarutobi clan looked exactly the same. He didn't know he was a direct relation though.

_Well, at least the kid aims high, _thought Naruto. The old man was in far greater danger of dying of old age than he was of being defeated by an academy student.

"Good luck with that. You'll need a bit more than a sword though."

It was a bit of an understatement, but it was his bit of token advice for the day. Despite being in the academy the kid obviously had no idea of what kind of strength a Hokage actually possessed. Who was teaching the boy anyway? Last time he checked Iruka wasn't that much of an idiot to put such ideas in a child's head.

"Does that mean you're going to train me."

"Not quite." He had wasted enough time on this. He made a shadow clone appear behind the runt. "Take him away and kill him."

Naruto smirked as the kid's eyes opened wide. "Hey — wait, what are you doing?!"

The clone ignored the kid's outcry and grabbed him by the scarf.

"You've wasted far too much of my time," Naruto explained while the runt was dragged away. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to talk to strangers?"

_Probably not, _he thought. Most people probably worshiped the ground the kid walked on. The notion that any harm could come to him particular from a Konoha shinobi was probably a foreign concept to both the boy, and most people in the village. It was naïve. He knew personally that there were more than a few people in the village who would abuse a child.

The old man was naïve, but he wasn't that naïve. This kid probably had some unlucky chūnin as a bodyguard. Not a very good one either considering what was about to happen.

"But…I'm the Hokage's grandson!"

"A corpse is a corpse. Death does not care who you are related to, and neither do I."

He signalled his clone to continue.

"But you'll get in trouble!"

That was a fare point. Though getting in trouble was predicated on being caught in the first place.

"That's considerate of you, but you don't have to worry. I have several shadow clones out an about in the village securing an alibi as we speak. I won't be in any trouble."

"I wasn't talking about—"

"Dump the corpse in the forest," Naruto talked over the boy's complaining. "The animals will take care of it."

"Wait–Wait!"

The runt tried to attack his clones, but all he ended up achieving was a slap in the head from an annoyed clone.

* * *

_**Flashback End**_

Unfortunately, his clone had gotten soft and let the boy go before he could do the deed. Even worse, treating the boy as expendable had the opposite effect he intended. Barely two hours later the boy had returned begging him to be his sensei or 'boss' as he had chosen to define the role.

Apparently the kid was impressed by his willingness to disregard the fact that he was the Hokage's grandson. He told the runt that he could go to Iwa and receive the same treatment, but that suggestion fell upon deaf ears.

Obviously he had been far too nice to the kid. Akeginu thought it was 'cute' when she found out. Though she reiterated that he was not to teach the kid _any _Iga jutsu. He replied that he didn't plan on teaching the kid anything period. Akeginu thought it could be a useful exercise though; at the very least he would get to revise his basics.

It wasn't all that bad. The boy was useful for target practice. It was a nice change of pace from throwing shuriken at his clones.

Back in the present Naruto watched with a detached sense of resignation as the boy, and two other kids he didn't recognise stood before him.

_They're multiplying_, thought Naruto as he observed the new arrivals. One was a young girl with bright orange hair tied in two rather large pig tails. She had some distinctive oval marks on her face. He couldn't tell if they were natural or make-up. The other was a young boy who looked like he had a cold. He had brown hair and wore a pair of plain wire rimed glasses.

All three of the kids were looking at him expectantly. It was almost as if they were awaiting instructions. He sincerely hoped not.

What he had done to deserve this? His thoughts briefly flashed to the image of Hayate in hospital, but he dismissed them. Hayate misfortune was his own fault for being an idiot. He was not culpable for that man's injuries.

"Didn't I tell you not to come back until you had learnt how to Kawarimi properly," Naruto said to Konohamaru.

"Boss, I did. Watch ."

While the kid set up for whatever they planed on doing, Kurenai commented on their interaction. "You're good with children Naruto."

"No, I'm not," Naruto, replied, quickly running damage control. Fortunately Konohamaru came to his rescue.

"Hey boss! Watch this."

Kurenai and Naruto turned to see the girl throw a shuriken straight at Konohamaru's head. He heard Kurenai cry out a warning as the boy managed to kawarimi just before the shuriken hit him in the eye. The shuriken continued on its flight path and almost took out a civilian.

"Good with children am I?," Naruto asked Kurenai.

Kurenai glanced apologetically at the civilian who just had a near death experience, before giving Naruto a quick glare.

Naruto gave her a smile before he went over what he just saw. Despite his apparent indifference to the kids, he had watched the display with more interest than he would have thought possible. He was surprised that Konohamaru had managed to get the technique down so quickly. The boy could barely perform a decent substitution two days ago.

He had shown the exercise to the kid the other day. Essentially he would throw a shuriken at Konohamaru forcing him to substitute or get hit. At first he didn't throw it very fast, or even directly at the boy. Though he kept the throws close enough to simulate danger. He even nicked the kid a couple of times on the cheek. Every time he threw a shuriken he gradually increased the pace of the throw. Eventually the kid would be good enough that he would be able to dodge and otherwise lethal blow.

The academy may teach kawarimi, but they didn't teach the kids how to apply it in practice. Just being told that it could be used to avoid attacks wasn't good enough. Using it for the first time in the field when a missing nin was able to carve your head off was a good way to die.

Students needed to be adept at using the technique in such situations _before _they went into the field. It would save their lives at some point in the future. There was no doubt about it.

Konohamraru at least would be fine, though he still needed to be faster. To have improved so quickly though… there must be some talent in there, buried under layers and layers of idiocy. Some people were like that though. You needed the correct conditions to bring out the best in them. The classrooms of the academy catered to the norm at not much else. They held genius back, and didn't give people with disadvantages the attention they needed. It was hardly an ideal learning environment.

Naruto also noted the girl had a much better shurikenjutsu technique than Konohamaru. Not that that was saying much. Konohamaru couldn't hit a target the size of one of the Hokage's heads if he tried.

"See boss, just like you showed me."

Naruto ignored him, instead he pointed to the girl who had thrown the shuriken. "You, girl with the pig tails. What's your name?"

"Moegi, leader-sama."

_Leader-sama?_ He didn't like the sound of that.

"Throw it harder next time," he advised. "His substitution is still sloppy. You, don't have to worry about killing him, if he gets hit it's his fault."

He used the same line on Hayate all the time.

"Naruto!"

Kurenai didn't seem too impressed by his advice.

Naruto looked back at her. "What? "

"You doing that on purpose," she replied before giving him a knowing look which he didn't like. "You can't fool me, since when have you liked kids?"

He wasn't sure what was going on it that pretty head of hers. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. She was way off, whatever it was.

"Boss is that your girlfriend?" Konohamaru asked. The kids seemed to finally notice that he wasn't alone. He made a note to work on their observational skills sometime in the future.

"Not quite."

"I told you boss would have a hot girlfriend," Konohamaru said to the other boy, completely ignoring what Naruto just said. He sighed, yet another person with a case of selective hearing.

'Um…are you going…" It sounded like Kurenai thought they should correct the children.

"Feel free to try, I've been trying to get him to stop calling me boss for the last two days. It hasn't worked so far despite several threats of bodily harm. It's in one ear and out the other," Naruto explained to Kurenai.

"Oh…"

While Konohamaru was chatting eagerly with his friends, Naruto spotted a wooden sword strapped to the kid's back. "Kon, what's that on your back?"

Konohamaru looked confused. "Who's Kon?"

"You are. You're name's far too long for my liking, so I've renamed you Kon," Naruto explained.

Kon didn't know what to say to that, but Moegi did. "Kon, show Boss your sword."

He definitely liked her more. She was far quicker on the uptake than the boy.

Kon handed him his bokken. Examining the wooden sword, Naruto noted that piece of wood was about the size of a kodachi. It was a good size for someone Kon's height. It was weighted properly as well.

He handed the bokken back to Kon who started swinging it around. At least he knew which end to hold, but that was the extent of what he was doing right.

"Stop," Naruto ordered. He pointed at Kon," Your grip's wrong. Keep your hands further apart otherwise it will be easy to knock the sword out of your hands."

Kon adjusted his grip on the bokken earning a nod from Naruto.

"Now lift the sword up to shoulder level," Naruto ordered. "Keep your arms straight." He waited until Kon did as instructed. "Now hold it like that for as long as you can. Once you can do it for twenty minutes straight, come back and find me."

It would take the boy a good month before he could do that. The training of new muscles was always a painful process.

"What's the reason for that Naruto?" Kurenai asked. She wasn't a kenjutsu user so he could understand her curiosity. Naruto noted that the kids were interested in his response as well.

"If you're going to use a sword, it needs to be like an extension of your arm. You can't be weighted down by it, or let the sword control you or your movements. You need to master it first. The first step towards doing that is building up the necessary stamina to wield the sword without getting tired. That's what this exercise is for."

Just as he finished speaking another person arrived on the scene.

"Honourable grand-son, here you are. I've been looking everywhere for you."

The man had dark hair and glasses. He wore his forehead protector like a bandana.

"Ebisu," Kurenai greeted the man, but she didn't exactly sounds pleased by his arrival.

Ebisu looked over at them, and greeted Kurenai, "Kurenai-san." Ebisu looked then looked at him, "Who's this?"

"That's boss," Kon didn't give Kurenai a chance to reply.

"Boss?" Ebisu asked.

"Yeah, he's my rival," Kon replied.

Naruto let out a sigh. Where the hell did the kid get that idea?

"Right," Ebisu looked at him dismissively before adjusting his glasses.

_Did he just give me the finger? **(8)**  
_

Naruto had to resist the urge to kill the man. Far too many witnesses around for something like that.

Ebisu turned back to Kon. "Honourable grandson, we need to get back to training. You still want to become Hokage don't you?"

"I got a better sensei now." Kon dismissed the man.

"What? Who? I've taught many Hokage's candidates. There's no faster way to becoming Hokage."

While the man was grovelling in front of Kon, Naruto turned to Kurenai. "We have many Hokage candidates…since when?"

He always assumed there was a reason the old man was stuck in that office despite being well past his prime. That reason being that there was no other Kage level nin inside Konoha.

Kurenai just gave him a look that said she had no idea of what this Ebisu guy was on about.

"Boss is teaching us."

"Him." Ebisu glanced over at Naruto, and took a closer look at him. Ebisu paused when he looked at Naruto's face. His expression quickly turned into a sneer when he recognised Naruto's whisker marks.

_Here it comes._

"Enough, Honourable Grandson, you'll never become Hokage hanging out with trash like this."

The words bounced harmlessly of Naruto. He cared nothing for this man's opinion. However, in his peripheral vision Naruto noticed Kurenai scowl at Ebisu. The man had apparently had forgotten about her, or didn't care about her opinion. Neither option would work out well for the guy.

"I'm an elite tutor. I'm your quickest short-cut to becoming Hokage."

Naruto saw that Kurenai was about to speak up to defend him, or scold the idiot. However he didn't need her to do either, though the thought was appreciated.

"Interesting. You refer to yourself as an elite tutor, but not an elite ninja."

It was more of an observation than a condemnation. People had their specialities. Some functioned better in the field, some in a hospital, others in cryptanalysis or interrogation. You had to find your niche somewhere. His own was probably in black ops somewhere. This Ebisu character was obviously better at training people, at least in his own opinion. Though one had to wonder how he could train a Hokage without being a decent ninja. Jiraiya, the Toad Sannin trained the Yondaime. Senju Tobirama trained the old man. Somehow he didn't think Ebisu matched up to them.

"Ha! He got you there Ebisu-baka."

Ebisu seemed to take exception to your remark. "And you are?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Naruto replied. Though he was reasonable sure that his ninja record at least rated him as B rank.

Instead of arguing with the man Naruto turned his attention to Kon, Moegi and this still unnamed boy with snot dripping from his nose.

"There's no such thing as a short cut to being a Hokage, despite what some may say. The Hokage got to the top with a lot of sweat, a lot of hard work, a lot of study, a lot of blood, and you can be sure he left a lot of corpses in his wake."

It's survival of the fittest out there. He doubted anyone had laid down the facts for these kids. He knew they certainly didn't at the academy.

He paused to check that they were still listening, which they were.

"That sword you're holding is a tool for murder. Kenjutsu is the art of killing. Make no mistake about this. A sword is used for one thing, and one thing only, to kill people. Think about it, seriously, do you actually want to learn how to use it? Because if you ever want to be a competent kenjutsu user you're going to have to kill people. Is that what you want? "

"I-I just want to protect people like the old man," Kon replied.

"Protecting someone you often means killing the person in front of you. It's not nice, but it is how the world works. Konoha has a lot of enemies out there. But like I said, it's your choice how you want to proceed. You can either take your training seriously, and work towards being Kage level ninja, if that's you goal, or you can look for the easy way, and end up like this guy," Naruto pointed to Ebisu, "A forty year old chūnin."

"I'm thirty, and I'm a jōnin!"

"Whatever," Naruto turned back to Kon and his friends who were looking at Ebisu with horrified expressions on their faces.

_Interesting…that got more of a reaction out of them than all that talk of killing._ Maybe he did need to tone it down a little for them.

He didn't know whether Ebisu was serious or not. He hoped not. More likely — assuming the man was remotely competent — he was just using this short-cut crap as a carrot to motivate Kon to train. Whatever it was, he didn't care. He was interested in how these kids would react when someone laid it all out for them. Would they turn and run, hide their heads in the sand and cling to their childish ideals? Or would the face reality, and deal with it?

What were the moral implications on using children to conduct a social experiment anyway?

Naruto continued. "It's your choice. Think about it." Naruto glanced at Ebisu who looked pissed. "Though I doubt you really need to."

With his piece said Naruto waved the kids goodbye and left, Kurenai promptly followed, after first giving Ebisu a piece of her mind. She was definitely becoming one of his favourite people. Admittedly, he only knew about three people he actually liked but nevertheless.

"Well…that conversation got a lot more serious than I thought it would."

"Do you think you were a bit harsh on them?" Kurenai asked as she caught up with him.

"Maybe, but they had to hear it from someone. They certainly weren't getting it from that Ebisu guy. This village likes to leave to jōnin such as yourself to fix the attitudes of the genin. It's unfair on both the genin and the jonin-sensei who's teaching them."

* * *

_**Later that day**_

Following his training session with Yūgao, Naruto made his way back to the ruins which took him inside the forest.

"Where have you been?" He asked her as she came up along side him.

"I was looking for something."

"What?" He asked curiously.

"I'll show you when we get back." Akeginu didn't seem to want to say anything more on the matter, which made him suspicious. Her surprises tended to be in the form nasty training sessions.

"You're going to keep me in suspense?"

Akeginu smiled at him, "Why not? I like seeing that annoyed face of yours."

Naruto gave her a flat look. Such antics may have gotten a rise out of him when he was younger, but not these days.

"Fine…you're no fun anymore." Akeginu gave him a mock glare before explaining herself. "It's a recipe, or formula for a very special potion."

"A potion?" He was a bit apprehensive after the last one he had to consume.

"Mmhm, it's called Seven Days of Darkness. It seals shut a persons eyes for seven entire days. We use it to combat the Kouga clan's dojutsu, since not all of us have the mystic eyes."

Although he did have the mystic eyes, the ability to essentially make a person blind for seven days was extremely useful.

"Why haven't I heard about this before?" Naruto asked.

"I forgot."

Naruto faltered a little. Akeginu usually wasn't so open about her mistakes, or faults for that matter. She tended to just ignore him when he brought them up.

"You forgot?"

"We'll see how good your memory is in two thousand years time, shall we."

"Fair point."

"I was also looking for another scroll," Akeginu continued. She reached out and tried to touch his hair, emphasis on tried. She ended up just sticking her hand through his head. "I think we need to do something with your hair."

"Stop that." Having someone's hand in your eyeball felt more than little weird. "I not letting you play with my hair."

It had been one of her main hobbies when he was younger. He did not enjoy it.

Akeginu rolled her eyes at him. "I was talking about a jutsu actually. We're going to introduce a nervous system to your hair."

"What? Does that mean my hair will feel pain?" Naruto asked. It didn't sound like a good idea to him.

"I don't actually know. I suppose we'll find out," Akeginu replied. "All I know is that it will allow you to manipulate your hair like an extension of yourself. I suppose there would be some drawbacks to such a useful technique."

Being able to manipulate his own hair would be like giving him another limb; very useful in close range combat. It would also be a nasty surprise for anyone who was able to disarm him.

_Uh-hu_

Naruto's eyes widened briefly before he masked his surprise. He hadn't had Oboro for long, but he knew that the higher pitch he just heard meant danger. He was being followed.

Activating his mystic eyes he discreetly looked around.

Akeginu noticed his change in demeanour. "What is it?"

"We're being followed," he said quietly. "Fall back. See if you can spot who it is."

Akeginu nodded her head and started moving back the way they came.

He continued on as if nothing were amiss. It wouldn't do any good to alert his follower that he had been discovered.

For a few tension filled minutes nothing happened. Naruto kept walking, and the unseen observer kept observing.

Something would have to give.

_Uh-hu. Uh-h. Uh-hu. Uh-hu. Ooh-hu._

Naruto glanced to his right where Oboro was making a ruckus. _Got you. _ There hidden next to a tree trunk was his silent observer. It was an ANBU wearing a plain white mask, and a dark brown coat. Oboro was on one the branches above him.

The ANBU seemed to notice the direction of Naruto gaze, and smartly decided to move. However, Naruto's katana was already free of its sheath, a blade of wind flying off the edge of his sword heading right for the tree and the ANBU

The blade of wind cut straight through the tree trunk causing the entire tree to collapse. Unfortunately for Naruto the ANBU avoided the attack.

Naruto leant to his left as a kunai flew past his head. His eyes spotted the explosive tag attached to the end of the kunai, and he managed to shunshin up onto a nearby tree branch just as the explosive tag went off. The loud detonation sending local wildlife scurrying through the underbrush.

Naruto used the smoke caused by the explosion to conceal himself. This was a game of cat and mouse. He wasn't sure which he was just yet.

"Naruto!" Naruto looked over to Akeginu who was pointing at a nearby tree. "Behind the tree."

Naruto reacted immediately. A flick of his wrists and two ebon ropes out glided out through air. Both the ropes sliced straight through he tree, bringing the tree down. However once the dust cleared he found no body there.

_Missed him. _

Naruto sensed a surge of chakra to his left, and managed to roll just in time as a large ball of fire impacted where he had just been standing.

He didn't come out of it unscathed either; his left sleeve was on fire. Quickly, he cut of his sleeve with a kunai. Fortunately his ebon ropes had protected most of his arm from any damage, though he could feel a slight burn up near his shoulder which was now uncovered.

The ANBU landed several meters in front of him. He dressed in the usual cloak, this one was a dark brown. However the ANBU's mask was different, plain white rather than the standard animal mask he usually saw them wear.

He didn't know how long this ANBU had been following him. He could have seen anything, which meant the ANBU had to die.

Naruto placed his right hand on his katana, and moved into his battojutsu stance. He mystic eyes staring straight at stared at the ANBU. There was no point holding back here.

He didn't know what the ANBU expected of him, if he had been watching him for any significant period of time however then the ANBU would know about his battōjutsu. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Instead of drawing his blade, he subtly flicked his pinkie finger. The results were immediate. The ANBU's exploded in a shower of blood, a deep gash caused by an ebon rope that just cut through his armour.

It was a simple misdirection. Like he told Kurenai earlier in the week. Preconceptions were dangerous. The ANBU expected a fast sword draw so he used that. He adopted his battōjutsu stance, but instead of drawing his sword he used an ebon rope instead.

The ANBU was cut down seemingly without any perceivable movement. However, the ANBU was not dead. One of the drawbacks of this technique was that he couldn't use chakra flow. The flow of wind around his ebon ropes made them much more perceptible, which defeated the purpose of using the technique in the first place.

So, instead of cutting the ANBU in half, he just gave the ANBU a severe cut across his chest.

Naruto didn't waste the opportunity though, he flung his right arm out sending four separate ebon ropes at the ANBU who was clutching his chest in pain.

The ANBU quickly made the seal for kawarimi. Naruto would have liked to use his mystic eyes to prevent the substitution, effectively ending the fight then and there, but the ANBU's eyes were firmly fixed on the approaching ropes not on him.

As his ropes cleaved through a log the ANBU re-appeared twenty meters away. Naruto spun and redirected his ebon ropes towards the man. While they surged after him he made several shadow clones. This guy was tricky, and well trained. He needed to constrict the ANBU's movements otherwise he would just substitute every time.

The ANBU dodged his ropes with skill that suggested the man was a jōnin level shinobi. As his clones engaged Naruto watched with interest as the man removed the gloves on his hands. To his surprise the man's hands were coated in purple.

_Interesting, poison? _

His thoughts were soon verified when the ANBU scored a glancing blow to one of his clones. Generally, one punch was insufficient to dispel his clones, but as soon as the fist make contact with his clone it scremed in pain and dispelled. He cringed as the memories came back to him.

_Definitely poison, and not a painless death either._

Naruto quickly recalled the stray ebon rope in his left hand, and brought his fingers to his lips. Sucking in wind quickly he created a vacuum behind the man. However the ANBU seemed to have the special awareness to position one of his clones between himself and the vortex. His clone quickly dispelled and the man managed to release a smoke bomb.

Naruto looked with annoyance at the smoke that covered the area. Normally he would welcome the opportunity to hunt the person down in the smoke, but the ANBU wasn't an assassin. He wasn't trying to kill him, but flee, and he couldn't have that.

**Futon: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)**

Naruto cheeks swelled and he released a large gust of wind. The surge of wind completely cleared the smoke from the area. The ANBU was nowhere to be seen, but Naruto hadn't felt a shunshin so he knew the ANBU was just hiding.

With a flick of his wrist he brought back the rest of his ebon ropes. He sent out a quick pulse of chakra, but as expected he detected nothing. Either the man could complexly mask his presence or he could meld seamlessly with the surrounding wildlife. Either one was an impressive feet.

Movement came from his left, but he ignored it. This was just a bunshin, a distraction.

_Click._

He katana carved through the ANBU as he appeared to the right, but Naruto quickly skipped backwards as the man burst into purple liquid.

_Poison clone?_

His spun quickly deflecting the blow from a machete, he flickered out of the way just before the ANBU's other hand connected with his face.

_Clever. _The ANBU used the machete in one hand to block while he attacked with a poison coated fist.

The ANBU attacked again, this time Naruto dodged all the attacks. _Click. _Naruto's katana cleaved the ANBU's left arm off. However this turned out to be a solid clone as well.

Naruto flickered out of the way of a hail of kunai as the ANBU recommenced his attack. These ones were also explosive tags so he made sure to flicker a good distance away.

The explosion leveled the entire area, and when the smoke subsided the ANBU was long gone.

_Hit and run, huh. Certainly an effective tactic. _There wasn't much he could do about it if the ANBU chose to retreat in such a fashion.

Naruto looked around, "Now where did Akeginu get to?"

* * *

Deep beneath Konoha, in tunnels that had been built back during the founding of the village, Danzo stared at the Root operative kneeling before him.

"You failed?"

His voice held no inflection of anger or surprise, just expectation. He wanted an answer and expected his operative to provide one. Torune was one of his best, yet he returned badly wounded and apparently in failure. Why?

"Yes Danzo-sama," Torune replied in a flat monotone. "A bird in close proximity to me gave away my position. The person of interest reacted with hostile intent."

_Co-incidence? _He didn't believe in such things. It all sounded a little too convenient. Torune had been following Uzumaki for weeks without incident. It was one of the reasons he gave the mission to Torune; he was virtually invisible to the senses. Most Aburame used their insects to create multiple chakra signatures. Torune was a little bit different, his unique insects hid his chakra from the senses. **(9)**

Yet he was found out. Did Uzumaki have a summons, or maybe a trained hawk or falcon?

"Any further to add?"

"Yes danzo-sama. Uzumaki uses invisible wires capable of cutting through armor and trees. It was what was responsible for my injury. He also seems capable of some space-time ninjutsu."

_Interesting. _He would have to get more information from Torune later however since he was about to pass out from blood loss.

"Dismissed. The mission had been postponed until further notice. Go find a medic."

Now that Uzumaki was aware he was being trailed, surveillance would be far more difficult.

On the positive side, Uzumaki was far more resourceful and skilled than he thought possible for someone who grew up under Hiruzen's rule, or perhaps not. The entire point of this surveillance was that Uzumaki was trained without Hiruzen's knowledge.

On the down side, there were still significant gaps in his knowledge regarding Uzumaki. He still had far too little information about the boy's ninja skills. Uzumaki's ability to keep them secret would have been commendable under different circumstances. He had also been unable to uncover anything on this Akeginu person, either she didn't exist and Uuzmaki was lying — unlikely since both he and Inoichi hadn't picked up on a lie — or she kept such a low profile that no one had ever heard of her.

He hoped that there weren't any more true Uzumakis left in the world. He didn't count people such as the Yondaime's wife. She knew far too little of her clan's real skills to be counted as one. If the boy learned any of their true Fūinjutsu, he would be far too dangerous to keep around.

There was also the fact that Uzumaki seemed to be able to disappear for large periods of time. Where did he go? Wherever it was, Torune had been unable to follow, nor had his insects been able to provide feedback. It was in the forest surrounding Konoha somewhere, but its exact location remained a mystery. Finding where Uzumaki disappeared to was definitely the priority.

Just as he was thinking about his next move his instincts flared. He recognised the feeling. It was the feeling of being watched, on not by his Root bodyguards. He was used to their presence.

He glanced at the shadows to his right, and then to his left. He peered into the deepest corners of the room. Was someone here?

He briefly considered unmasking his sharingan, but dismissed it.

_It's impossible, _he thought. No one could infiltrate his headquarters undetected.

* * *

As the old cripples eyes panned around the room Akeginu slinked out of the shadows. Her brown eyes narrowed in a mix of anger and apprehension. It seemed there were rats in the woodwork.

She had followed that wounded operative all the way back here. As per usual, she felt rather helpless during Naruto's fight. It was a feeling she hated. So, in an attempt to make herself useful she followed Naruto's attacker after he fled.

It had been a revealing chase. The attacker had fled to a nearby entrance, hidden beneath the root system of a large fig tree. She followed him through the entrance, and what she found amazed her.

A giant maze of interconnecting tunnels running beneath not only the forest, but the village itself. It was an amazing feet of construction. The tunnels must have been built back when the village was first founded. The network was too extensive to have occurred later.

What was more disconcerting was that there was a small army hiding in the tunnels. She had passed at least fifty or so ninja on way through. They may have just been the tip of an iceberg. Who knows how many more there were?

She needed too inform Naruto of this. This Danzo character was getting far too close for her liking. He had definitely crossed the line from possible threat to actual threat.

With one final glance at the old cripple she turned around and made her way back to Naruto. She hoped he was okay, though she knew her concern was unwarranted. He could heal from just about anything.

_I definitely need to come back here and start mapping these tunnels. _

* * *

**Foot Notes**

_**(1) **__This is the technical name for Naruto chakra flow technique. Same as Danzo's. _

_**(2) **__Don't know the rank of these two wind techniques, so I went with B rank. Naruto hasn't used the Wind Cutter technique much, but he does no it. See, his first sparr with Yūgao. _

_**(3) **__Just watched ep307 & 308 of the anime. Didn't really care for the episode personally (much too melodramatic and full of inconsistencies), but it did go into Yūgao's skill set a little. The fact that she's a sensor provides a plausible explanation for Naruto's progression in that area. I plan to make the appropriate amendments to earlier chapter at a future date.  
_

_**(4)** The art of infiltration: impersonation, disguise etc. _

_**(5)** Japanese falconry._

_**(6)** Just so we're clear. This is the technique the Sandaime uses against Orochimaru, not Sasuke's shadow shuriken technique. The former is an actually clone technique, the latter is simply throwing two shuriken with such skill that one appears to be a clone._

_**(7)** Appearance is based on Eurasian eagle owl._

_**(8)** See Manga version of Ebisu'ss glasses adjustment. _

_**(9)** Took a few liberties here. We have virtually no info on Torune so I needed to add a few things at my own discretion._

* * *

**Author's Note**

Although this chapter was a little fillerish, pacing is important. I felt since I was introducing Kurenai into the story as a major supporting character, I need to give her the space to establish her own presence. Hopefully I accomplished that.

Kurenai is a confirmed pairing. I wasn't sure about her back when I started this fic, but now considering the way I've developed Naruto I think she's a good fit, more so than Anko anyway. I know they both have crappy pasts, but neither is the sort to talk about it. I'm still not sure if Anko will be a confirmed pairing or just a casual flirt.

I wasn't very happy with the Torune fight. It was hard to write since there so little to go on regarding his abilities. I may change it if I can think about a few extra scenes to add. A much better fight takes place next chapter anyway/

On a side note I will be making some amendments to Naruto's skill set. Namely removing the high speed regeneration. No real point in having it at this time. The regeneration he has in canon is more than sufficient for the type of injuries I have planned. Obviously I will have to amend chapter 6, and the occasional reference to the ability. Fortunately Naruto hasn't really used it so the amendment is actually quite small.

Next chapter will be important. It's Hayate big moment, and I still haven't decided on how I'm going to write it. I kind of like the idea of keeping Hayate around. It also provides some good tension/ drama as I increase Yūgao attraction to Naruto (this will be long term, long, long term.) My original intention was to kill Hayate off so that I could investigate how Naruto deals with loss (not to have him score with Yūgao as some have implied), but I'm not sure if he's close enough to actually care that much about it. Naruto would probably just accept it as a fact of life.

Anyway, tune in next chapter for that, and other shifty business — Kabuto v Naruto as well.


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